IES - Food Supplies (Lesson)
Food Supplies
Over the past century, global food production has more than kept pace with human population growth, but there are worries about whether we will be able to maintain this pace. Soil scientists report that about two-thirds of all agricultural lands show signs of degradation. Biotechnology and intensive farming techniques responsible for much of our recent production gains often are too expensive for poor farmers. Can we find ways to produce the food we need without further environmental degradation? Will that food be distributed equitably? In a world of food surpluses, the United Nations estimates that some 850 million people are now chronically undernourished, and at least 60 million face acute food shortages due to natural disasters or conflicts.
The expectation that population growth will outrun its food supply has a long history. Surprisingly, from the 1950s to the 1990s, which experienced the most dramatic increase in human population ever, per capita world food production increased. The Green Revolution - high-yield varieties of cereal crops - resulted in enormous increases in yield per hectare. However, environmental costs are high. Most arable land is already farmed, and the land area under agriculture had slightly declined. Improved agricultural methods that increase yields while minimizing environmental impacts hold the greatest promise for increasing world food supplies. At present, humans use or co-opt a substantial fraction of the world's terrestrial net primary production, raising doubts about our ability to greatly increase food supply to humans.
When you have finished watching answer the following self-reflection questions.
- Explain why excess nitrogen in the water can lead to fewer fish and shrimp. Which organisms grow more abundantly with added nitrogen?
- What do you think the farmers should do for the fishermen? Do you think that giving the fishermen a share of the corn profits is a good idea?
- Brainstorm some ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the water reaching the Gulf of Mexico.
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