Sustainability 11/13

Vocabulary:
Factory Farming
Fair Trade
Organic Farming/Food/Cotton
Pesticide
Monoculture
Multicropping
Intercropping
Permaculture
Buy Local

The Story of Food: food travels a lot farther than it used to, farmers are going extinct,
corn is grown for fuel, 1 out of 6 are overeating, 1 out of 6 are malnourished, GMOs
are everywhere

Visual Aesthetic vs. Taste/Health Benefits

Trends Increasing Demand for Grain:

*Grain is the basis of the food system, where most of our calories come from
Population Growth
Eating higher on the food chain (more demand for meat, milk & eggs)
Using grain for vehicle fuel (corn ethanol, palm oil [diesel])

Pressures on Food Supply

Erosion and desertification
Loss of glaciers and over-pumping aquifers
Disruption of local climates & change of growing zones
Sea level rise

Growing Demand for Meat

World meat consumption increased from 44 million tons in 1950 to 260 million tons
I 2007, more than doubling annual consumption per person from 17 kilograms to 39
kilograms (86 pounds).
36% (750 million tons) of world grain harvest used to produce animal protein, even
a modest gain in efficiency can save a large quantity of grain.
Beef is outrageously resource-intensive to grow

The EPA estimates that 25% of the nations methane (CH4) emissions come from
livestock.
A Food & Agriculture study said meat production is responsible for 18% of overall
greenhouse gas emissions.
Meat is Less Efficient
The average fossil energy input for animal protein is 25 kcal fossil energy input
per 1 kcal of protein produced
This energy input is more than 11 times greater than that for grain protein
production about 2.2 kcal of fossil energy input per 1 kcal of plant protein
produced (for corn).
Animal protein, based on its amino acid profile, has about 1.4 times the biological
value of grain protein, so feeding people with vegetable proteins takes about 1/8 the
fossil energy inputs of meat.
At present, the US livestock population consumes more than 7 times as much grain
as is consumed directly by the entire American population.

Health
A number of studies have found that people who eat vegetarian diets have lower
rates of chronic disease and often live longer than those on predominantly meat-
based diets (Fraser 2009, Jacobs 2009).
The American Dietetic Association, the worlds largest organization of nutrition
experts, maintains that vegetarians have less obesity and lower rates of chronic
medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension (Craig 2009).
Meatless Monday

Livestock + Fish = big opportunities for the poor

High Demand
The increasing demand for animal-source foods in developing countries is a big
opportunity for smallholders, who can raise their incomes by meeting that rising
demand.
Highly Nutritious
Animal-source foods are critical for malnourished people, especially women and
children.
Highest Value
Meat, milk and fish are generally the highest value agricultural products globally.

How much meat is sustainable?

Vaclav Smil estimates that the optimum level of consumption is between 33 and 66
pounds of meat per year.
The average American eats about 270 pounds of meat per year.
33 lbs. per year = about 10 oz. per week.
66 lbs./year = about 20 oz. per week.
Beef would not make up the majority of that consumption
A chicken breast is about 6-8 oz.
Can Sustainable Agriculture Feed the World?

Monoculture planting one field with one crop

Factory Farming jamming animals into one space, feeding them uniformed diets,
lots of waste issues, raising animals just to be eaten. Should there be a law to
prohibit/regulate antibiotics with animals?

Waste and Pollution

IN 2007, U.S. livestock in confined feeding operations generated about 500 million
tons of manure a year, three times the amount of human waste produced by the
entire U.S. population (EPA 2007).
More than 34,000 miles of rivers and 216,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs in the
U.S. have been degraded by waste from confined feeding operations (EPA 2009).

Intercropping using one field to grow more than one type of crop
Three Sisters Traditional Native American intercropping or companion planting:
corn, beans, and squash.

Organic Farming no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, often defined by what it

doesnt do.

Permaculture permanent + agriculture, sustainable system, perennials vs.

annuals, recreating natural systems/companion plantings seen in nature.

Drip Irrigation