Lecture 13 Flashcards
how sustainably are we using the Earths resources?
we use 50% more resources than the planet can renew
- were depleting things at a much faster rate than the earth can renew
- and as developing world (diets etc) develop it will worsen
sustainable agriculture needs to deliver food more efficiently with __
less inputs and less waste
the value we place on agriculture
is tiny, we undervalue it
– undervaluing farmers they are forced to exploit the land
UK dependent on imports?
- yes, as our farmers are not rewarded for what they do
- cant afford it
farmers: how many
- in 1841 over 1/5 workers worked in agriculture or fishing, in 2011 less than 1/100
- 58% of UK farms in hands of over 55s
- average age is 58 in UK
social reasons why people don’t go into farming
- estate of farmers is v high
- from marriage and divorce, the estate gets split
- so farmers reluctant to hand over land to younger individuals
farmers income:
- grazing livestock rely on subsidies to make profit
- cereals and mixed farming also often make loss
- year to year incomes vary by 20-30%
if we want to protect soils we need to reward and incentivise __
farmers
horticulture farmer average salary
> 60% earn less than £25,000
low wages in other countries drives down prices of food products and makes it cheaper to import examples
apples
HM Government ‘A green future: Our 25 year plant to improve the environment’
plan made my government to help create a more sustainable world
Key issues were trying to solve: sustainability
Feeding the world without destroying the earth
- not reliant on non-renewable inputs
- protecting ecosystem services - soil, water, air, climate
- protecting profits & viable farming communities
Life cycle analysis importance
breaks down misunderstanding,
how do we measure sustainability?
- Life cycle analysis
- GHG footprints?
- carbon, water, nutrients, energy, soil footprints?
- ecological footprints?
current ‘alternatives’ to conventional intensive agriculture:
1) “sustainable intensification”
2) precision agriculture
3) integrated crop management & conservation tillage
4) organic
5) biodynamic
6) permaculture
7) Agro-forestry
8) kitchen gardens, allotments, and urban agriculture
sustainable intensification
- some parts of the world suitable for this
- parts of Africa, middle east
- as at the moment they have low inputs or poor management systems, not reaching yields (closing yield gaps)
- by improving soil quality, crop genetics, better biological controls of pests/diseases, smart crop rotations, rock dust fetiliser
crops fed to animals & fuels
a lot of crops (north america) used for animals or for fuels (bioethanols)
__ crops provide most of human food
12
-many cases yields are lower than they need to be
precision agriculture:
- cost saving
- improving optimal production: often tho used for optimal production (economic sustainability) rather than sustainability
integrated farming system
- between organic and conventional farming
- ‘best of both worlds’
- conventional systems moving into this direction due to failures (pesticide resistance)
- ecological approach whilst attaining productivity
- i.e reduced tillage etc
globally a lot of food is produced off
small farms
50% of the worlds food comes from small to medium sized, traditional, low-input farms
-industrialised farming is minority however this seems to be the focus of a lot of schemes (grant & research money goes to industrial)
organic:
- public believe this is synonymous with sustainability but is this true?
- Soil Association focuses on HEALTH
- types of chemicals used on conventional farming don’t actually have effect on humans
- fear of ‘chemicals’ and genetic modification
- some aspects are correct, to remove harmful unsustainable inputs but integrated farming probs covers this
Biodynamics:
- revitalise nature, grow nourishing food & advance the physical and spiritual health of humanity
- each farm considered as an organism
- grow crops linked to astrology
- Astrology, anthroposophy, & homeopathy
- no significant evidence Carpenter-Boggs et a 2000 is successful
Permaculture:
- recycling of nutrients and long term sustainability
- could be built into integrated farming
- Bill Mollison:
- -care of the earth
- care of people
- -setting limits to population and consumption
Agro-forestry
- combine Timber, Fruits, Nuts and legume trees (nitrogen fixing and enhanced P cycling)
Kitchen gardens and allotments:
- more than half the worlds pop live in cities
- many of these interested in reconnecting with nature
- in UK often linked to ‘Transition town’ communities, concerned with oil depletion, food security and food safety
- 800 million people are involved in urban agriculture world-wide
- in 1990’s 15-20% of world food production occured in urban and peri-urban agriculture (Some health risks)
- promiment in Niger
allotments in UK:
Not all in cities, over 300,000
- yield over 36 tonnes of food per hectare per year
- waiting list for these
- root veg, some fruits we cant grow, but apples we can but choose to import
Abundance project
- set up in sheffield, hugely successful not national
- waste fruit, is then collected and given out/used
Farming up the city: the rise of urban vertical farms
- leafy greens and high value crop yes,
- no soil
but cereals, potatoes or root crops no
