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Ag Production and the Environment

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Ag Production and the Environment Text extracted from The World Food Problem Leathers & Foster, 2004 http://www.lastfirst.net/images/product/R004548.jpg – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Ag Production and the Environment


1
Ag Production and the Environment
  • Text extracted from
  • The World Food Problem
  • Leathers Foster, 2004

http//www.lastfirst.net/images/product/R004548.jp
g
2
Erosion
  • Soil removed by
  • Wind
  • water
  • Agricultural cause
  • Plowing
  • bare fields
  • Absence of roots

3
Wind Erosion
http//soils.usda.gov/use/worldsoils/mapindex/eros
wind.jpg
4
Water Erosion
http//soils.usda.gov/use/worldsoils/landdeg/paper
s/ersnfig1.jpg
5
Chemical Degradation of Soil
  • Nutrient depletion
  • Especially if same crop grown every year
  • Salinization
  • Irrigation with low levels of salt
  • Salt build up when dries
  • Acidification
  • Too much fertilizer
  • Drainage problems
  • Pollutants
  • Oil
  • Pesticides

Salinization
http//www.ciseau.org/cds_upload/1118333201256_Tha
ilande.png
6
Physical degradation of soil
  • Less porous
  • Compaction by
  • Heavy machines
  • Animals
  • Water logging
  • Roots die
  • Due to
  • Over irrigation
  • Poor drainage

Soil compaction
http//www.dpi.vic.gov.au/CA25677D007DC87D/LUbyDes
c/Puggedsoil/File/PUGGED-1.jpg
7
Extent of Land Degradation
  • 38 total cropland degraded worldwide
  • 2 billion hectares
  • 83 by erosion
  • 12 chemical
  • 5 physical
  • 5-10 million new hectares
  • degraded each year
  • New land must be put into production to
    compensate
  • Generally poor quality

Overgrazed degraded soil
http//farm3.static.flickr.com/2097/2138777732_5aa
323c591.jpg?v0
8
http//soilerosion.net/image/glasod.gif
9
Irrigation Problems
  • Water Quality degradation
  • Salt-water intrusion in coastal areas due to
    lower water table
  • Leeches salt into groundwater unusable
  • Runoff carries fertilizer, pesticide residues
  • Land degradation
  • SoilErosion
  • Waterlogging
  • Salinization
  • acidification

Irrigation in Uzbekistan
http//www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0409e/A0409E15.jpg
10
Ag Chemicals
  • Can lead to
  • Land degradation
  • Water pollution
  • Health problems
  • Chemical manufacture can be dangerous
  • Explosion at fertilizer plant in Bhopal India in
    1984
  • Killed thousands

Union Carbide Chemical Plant, Bhopal India
11
Fertilizer Runoff Hypoxia
  • Hypoxia
  • Dead zone in rivers, lakes, oceans
  • N and P fertilizer runoff cause algae growth
  • Algal bloom removes dissolved oxygen
  • Result nothing grows

12
Carrying Capacity
  • How many people can earth support?
  • Carrying capacity
  • Limitations on
  • Agricultural land
  • Fresh water
  • Waste assimilation

http//www.lunaroutpost.com/gallery/earth/images/g
lobe_west_2048.tif.jpg
13
David Pimentel
  • Believes carrying capacity has already been
    exceeded
  • Earth can support 2 billion
  • at high standard of living
  • Current yields not sustainable

http//ipmworld.umn.edu/vitae/mug/pdmug.gif
14
Julian Simon
  • Optimistic about future ag production
  • Technology will solve problems
  • Drip Irrigation
  • Fish Farming
  • GMOs for
  • Pest resistance
  • Drought resistance
  • Salt resistance

http//www.indefenceofliberty.org/admin/thumbnail/
julian.jpg
15
Fish the Blue Revolution
  • World fish stocks fully exploited
  • No future increases in wild capture
  • Aquaculture increasing
  • Developing nations
  • China
  • Developing nations by 2020
  • 79 World population
  • 77 World fish consumption

http//photos.mongabay.com/07/world_fish_1950-2000
-400.jpg
http//www.ifpri.org/pressrel/2003/20031002.htm
http//news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/04
/sci_nat_feeding_the_world/img/5.jpg
http//photos.mongabay.com/07/world_fish_1950-2000
-400.jpg
16
Fish the Blue Revolution
http//www.theglobaleducationproject.org/earth/ima
ge.php?imagef-fisheries-map-lg.giftitleglobal2
0aquaculture
17
Global Warming
  • Agriculture contributes to global warming
  • CO2 released from plant decomposition
  • CO2 80 greenhouse gases
  • No-till Ag releases less CO2
  • Methane released from rice paddies
  • Methane 23 x warming impact of CO2
  • Nitrous Oxide (NO) released from fertilizer use
  • NO 296 x warming impact of CO2

http//picturethis.pnl.gov/PictureT.nsf/All/6GPMKU
?opendocument
18
Global Warming
  • Livestock contribute to GW
  • Produce 18 of total greenhouse gasses
  • (Cars, Airplanes, Trains, Boats total 13)
  • 1.3 billion cattle in world
  • Occupy 1/3 earths landmass
  • 20 lb CO2 produced per pound of beef
  • Cattle Belching produces methane
  • 200L/d/cow methane
  • 5 of planets greenhouse gasses
  • Manure produces Nitrous Oxide (NO)
  • Deforestation to support livestock
  • Grazing land
  • Crop land to grow feed
  • 70 of former forest in Latin America is grazing
    land

http//www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/01/22/cow2_
wideweb__470x277,0.jpg
19
(No Transcript)
20
Global Cattle Distribution
All densities are in heads per square Kilometer.
http//agtr.ilri.cgiar.org/Maps/distributionMaps/S
pecies/Cattle.htm
21
Global Cattle Distribution
Global livestock production is projected to
double by 2050
22
http//gristmill.grist.org/images/admin/globalghg.
jpg
23
http//facweb.furman.edu/mhuntsberger/blogs/com40
spring08/b/wp-content/uploads/global_warming_predi
ctions_map_2.jpg
24
Ice melt in Greenland
http//heartspring.net/images/greenland_ice_melt.j
pg
25
Global Warming
  • Impact on Agriculture
  • Flooding of coastal land
  • ½ of world population lives within 120 miles of
    the coast
  • Affect crop yields
  • Increase CO2
  • Boosts crop growth
  • Increase water-use efficiency
  • Increase extreme weather
  • Increase insects, disease
  • Shift climate zones
  • Northern regions better
  • Tropical regions worse
  • Developing countries

26
Impact on Agriculture
http//www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2008/03/
images/cline5.gif
27
Impact on Agriculture
http//earthtrends.wri.org/images/climate_change_a
gricultural_potential.jpg
28
USA biggest CO2 emitter
http//www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/connections_
n2/climate_n2/emissions.gif
29
Ethical Issue
  • Global warming is caused primarily by CO2
  • from industrial development in the first world
  • Is it morally acceptable that the developing
    world will suffer more negative effects from
    global warming
  • Without having benefited from the fossil fuels
    that caused the problem.

http//jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/imageSnag/468_pollut
ion.jpg
30
Solving Global Warming
http//www.zzilch.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008
/03/combating-global-warming-map.jpg
31
Bioenergy
  • Potential
  • Reduce CO2 emissions
  • Plants fix CO2
  • Sustainable
  • If use perrennial switchgrass
  • Profits for farmers
  • Worldwide
  • Energy for poor
  • Worldwide

http//www.iowaswitchgrass.com/__images/Switchgras
s-Graphic_800.jpg
32
Bioenergy Problems
  • Competes with food production
  • Agricultural land diverted
  • Food prices rise worldwide
  • Hurts poor hardest
  • Undernutrition
  • Ethanol from maize increases CO2 production
  • Farming uses fossil fuel
  • Less soybeans planted in U.S.
  • Tropical forests destroyed to plant soybeans in
    Brazil.
  • Net loss of ability to fix CO2
  • Biodiesel from oil palm and soybeans destroys
    rainforests
  • Oil palm plantations in S.E. Asia
  • Soybean planting in Brazil

Oil Palm Plantation, Indonesia
http//image.guim.co.uk/Guardian/environment/galle
ry/2008/apr/01/biofuels/GD5160468_at_This-undated-pho
to-sh-509.jpg
33
http//media.townhall.com/Townhall/Car/b/20080421R
Z1AP-BiofuelGauge.jpg
34
http//cranialcavity.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/e
thanolcomic.jpg
35
Bioenergy benefits and challenges
http//www.fao.org/clim/docs/CDROM/docs/Bioenergy/
Bioenergy_Facts_and_Figures_01.pdf
36
Bioenergy plusses and minuses
http//www.fao.org/clim/docs/CDROM/docs/Bioenergy/
Bioenergy_Facts_and_Figures_01.pdf
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