Food and Agriculture History and Types of Agriculture

Food and Agriculture

History and Types of Agriculture Demand-based agriculture - production determined by economic demand limited by classical economic supply and demand theory. This approach became common during the industrial revolution. Resource-based agriculture - production determined by resource availability; economic demand usually exceeds production. This approach was the original type of farming 10, 000 years ago. Modern approaches are very high tech and somewhat more expensive.

Plant Food Sources 250, 000 plant species Þ 3000 tried as crops Þ 300 grown for food Þ 100 species used on large scale for food Þ 15 to 20 species provide vast majority (90%) of man’s food needs • It takes about 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of edible meat • Largest crop volumes provided by: wheat, rice, corn, potatoes, barley – Wheat and rice supply ~60% of human caloric intake • • •

Other Plant Food Sources 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Potatoes Barley Sweet Potato Cassava (source of tapioca) Grape Soybean Oats Sorghum Sugarcane 10. Millet 11. Banana 12. Tomato 13. Sugar Beet 14. Rye 15. Orange 16. Coconut 17. Cottonseed 18. Apple 19. Yam 20. Peanut 21. Watermelon 22. Cabbage 23. Onion 24. Bean 25. Pea 26. Sunflower Seed 27. Mango

Types of Crops • Cash crops vs. Subsistence crops • Cash crops - are grown to make money, and can also be crops not used for food. – Ex: corn, tobacco, flowers, coffee, cotton • Subsistence crops - those grown to be consumed by the farmer and his family or to be fed to the farmer’s livestock. – Ex: rice, corn, vegetables

Top 10 Cash Crops in the US Major agricultural crops produced in the United States in 2000 (excluding root crops, citrus, vegetable, etc). Crop Harvested Area (million acres) Cash Receipts from Sales ($ billion) Corn (grain) 72. 7 15. 1 Soybeans 72. 7 12. 5 Hay 59. 9 3. 4 Wheat 53. 0 5. 5 Cotton 13. 1 4. 6 Sorghum (grain) 7. 7 0. 82 Rice 3. 0 1. 2

Grain Production • Grain production increased from 631 to 1780 million metric tons from 1950 to 1990. • Has leveled off since then • Top five countries in order of producing the most amount of grain are: 1. China 2. United States 3. India 4. Canada 5. Ukraine

Livestock · Domesticated livestock (sheep, pigs, chickens, cattle) are an important food source for humans · These animals can provide energy for humans, since we cannot eat certain types of plants, like grass.

Livestock Uses • About 90% of all meat and milk are consumed by United States, Europe and Japan which constitute only 20% of world population • About 90% of the grain grown in the United States is used for animal feed • 16 kg of grain Þ 1 kg of meat – By eating grain instead would get 20 times the calories and 8 times the protein

World Food Supply and the Environment • Our current food problem is the result of our human population • Food production depends upon favorable environmental conditions • Agriculture changes the environment such changes can be very bad. • Food supply can be negatively affected by social unrest or political problems.

Malnutrition and Famines • One quarter of the human population is malnourished – Sub-Saharan Africa (~225 million) – East and Southeast Asia (~275 million) – South Asia (~250 million) – Parts of Latin America

Malnutrition/Famines • Not enough calories per day in addition to not getting the necessary amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fats), minerals, and vitamins • Famine conditions – Major droughts – Population sizes – Massive immigration – Wars -- Political instability -- Land Seizures -- Floods -- Chaos in economy

Limits on Food Production · Arable land · Precipitation · Temperature · Global warming · How do each of these limit food production?

Pests and Pesticides

Pesticides Pros and Cons Pros Cons • Kill unwanted pests that carry disease (rats, mosquitoes) • Increase food supplies • More food means food is less expensive • Effective and fast-acting • Newer pesticides are safer, more specific • Reduces labor costs on farms • Food looks better • Agriculture is more profitable • Accumulate in food chain • Pests develop resistance – 500 species so far • Estimates are $5 -10 in damage done for $1 spent on pesticide • Destroy bees - $200 million • Threaten endangered species • Affect egg shell of birds • 5% actually reach pest • ~20, 000 human deaths/year • Unknown long-term effects on human health.

Pest Management without Pesticides • Alternative ways of controlling pests – inspecting crops and monitoring crops for damage – using mechanical trapping devices (bug or animal traps) – natural predators (e. g. , insects that eat other insects) – Removing weeds by hand (pulling them out)