Sustainable Production of Food

12 Key excerpts on "Sustainable Production of Food"

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  eBook - ePub

  Global Food Futures

  Feeding the World in 2050

  • Brian Gardner(Author)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Bloomsbury Academic

    (Publisher)

  2

  What is meant by sustainability in an agricultural context? The most concise modern definition of sustainability is that evolved by the Brundlandt Commission in 1987: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”3 This definition has been subsequently extended beyond the obvious environmental condition to include social and economic conditions as well. It is obvious that ensuring that agriculture sustains the productive capacity of the soil of the planet is essential to the survival of the human race and most other fauna and flora.

  What is also obvious is that because food is essential to life, human communities will seek the easiest way of maximizing the food supply; in terms of the long-run productive capacity of the soil, this may not be the optimum. Without doubt, feeding more than 7 billion human bodies currently involves a large part of Earth’s resources. It is estimated that about 38 percent of Earth’s land surface and about 20 percent of its net primary production resources are involved in the production of food.4 Also to be taken into account is the impact of the production of the resources needed to produce agricultural inputs: irrigation water, fertilizers and pesticides, machinery, and energy. The resource costs of delivery to consumers—packaging, transport and retailing facilities—also have to be taken into account.

  In determining the level of food production, farmers are responsible for influencing the state of a large part of the global environment. Agriculture is therefore in a position to cause the loss of natural ecosystems and add globally significant and environmentally detrimental amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus to terrestrial ecosystems. It has been estimated that the quantities involved could triple if past practices are used to achieve another doubling in food production.5

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  Conventional and Organic Farming: A Comprehensive Review through the Lens of Agricultural Science

  • Victor M. Shorrocks(Author)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • 5m Books

    (Publisher)

  The 2016 Global Food Policy Report, the flagship publication of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI, 2016), points out that today’s global food system has major weaknesses with nearly 800 million people left hungry and one-third of the human race malnourished; more than half of some crops never make it to the table and the environment is being damaged by current farming practices. The IFPRI (2016) wishes to see a new global food system developed that is efficient, inclusive, climate-smart, sustainable, nutrition and health-driven. It is thought that climate change will have negative impacts on crops, especially on the millions of dry land smallholders in Africa. The perceived solution is seen in the form of crops better able to deal with drought but there is no commitment to GM crops.

  Sustainable agriculture

  What is a sustainable farming system? One definition given by Gregorich et al. (2001) is that it is a system that includes steps to ensure natural resource conservation, economic productivity and social acceptability. A more general definition of a sustainable development was that given by the Brundtland Commission in 1987 as one which meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (UNECE, 1987).

  The consumption by man of nutrients that are not replaced means that it will not be possible to sustain food production indefinitely once all cultivatable land is farmed. It could be that organic farming would remain sustainable as a system longer than conventional farming insofar as the lower yields would reduce the rate of loss of nutrients. At the same time, organic farming would only have the ability to sustain a relatively small global population.

  An acceptable global sustainability target is here considered to be the ability to feed a population of around 11 billion with a lifestyle and diet comparable to the current Western standards but possibly with reduced consumption of livestock products. There would seem to be little merit in contemplating a world with completely unrealistic diets, for example with only minimal dependence on animal products and seed legumes being the main source of protein for humans.

  Current agricultural practices are thought to be able to produce more than sufficient food for the current global population of c. 7.2 billion. The dietary inadequacies in underdeveloped countries are said to be largely due to economic and political factors that prevent fair distribution of food and the non-adoption of agricultural techniques that have been successful in the Western world. There is also considerable waste of food at all steps in the food chain from field to plate. Approximately one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year is lost or wasted, either by producers and during marketing or by the consumer in the home (FAO, 2016). Roughly the same total quantities of food per capita are wasted in developed and developing countries. Consumers in developed countries are the main culprits, wasting far more food than those in developing countries. In developing countries most wastage occurs in post-harvest handling and processing. Fruits and vegetables have the highest wastage rates of any food. The amount of food lost or wasted every year is equivalent to more than half of the world’s annual cereals crops. In the UK it was reported in 2014 that of the 15 million t of food wasted each year, 9 billion t could have been eaten (UK Select Committee meeting on food security).

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  Japanese And American Agriculture

  Tradition And Progress In Conflict

  • Luther Tweeten(Author)
  • 2019(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  6 Sustainable Food and Agricultural Policies: A U.S. Perspective Arne Hallam and Selahattin Dibooglu Introduction Suslllinllble Systmu The 1980s saw a rebirth of interest in sustainable agricultural systems (Harwood; NRC). While soil conservation has been discussed for years, and pollution contro~ at least in detail, since the 1960s and 1970s, the interest in recent years has been more holistic and systems oriented. The concerns raised by Carson's Silent Spring, which led to more pesticide regulation in the 1960s and 1970s, brought about a more fundamental rethinking of the food production and distribution system in the 1980s. The idea of sustainable agriculture became a bU7ZWord for popular discussion groups and research projects. While definitions of sustainable varied, most parties agreed on the need for systems that were in some sense regenerative or that could maintain production and consumption levels without large amounts of outside input. Most discussions of sustainability have been directed towards agricultural production. Issues related to sustainable production practices might be termed physical sustainability. While physical sustainability of a particular production practice is necessary to obtain sustainable food consumption, physical and biologic sustainability is not sufficient to ensure a safe and stable supply of food. A second type of sustainability is related to the economic system and might be termed economic sustainability. A physical system that can be sustained but does not return sufficient profit to entice entrepreneurs to choose or maintain it is not a stable system of food production. Thus economic sustainability is also necessary for sustainable food consumption. In the parlance of the economic growth literature, a sustainable economic system is one that is capable of either constant or growing output per capita over the long run.

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  Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics Complete Food And Nutrition Guide, 5th Ed

  • Roberta Duyff(Author)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Harvest

    (Publisher)

  right foods for as many people as possible, protecting against food- and water-related health issues, and managing environmental resources. A tall order.

  Sustainability is essential to meet the growing demand for food and the capacity to maintain resources, without compromising future generations’ ability to do the same. The term “sustainable” is often misunderstood, however. In the context of food it doesn’t mean “local” or “organic.” Instead “sustainable” refers to a food system that can maintain itself in healthy and responsible ways. And it’s about connections with the economy, the environment, and society as a whole—all important to ensure adequate food for future generations.

  Source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

  Sustainability in farming and ranching is important since they have so much potential impact on the environment. Sustainable agricultural production relies on (1) fertile soil with reduced soil erosion, (2) plenty of fresh water that’s not impaired with polluters, and (3) available energy that limits greenhouse gas emissions. Issues, such as water scarcity for irrigation, a loss of soil productivity, air and water pollution related to farming practices, potential loss of biodiversity, and pesticide and herbicide resistance, are high priority. The whole system—from farm to plate—must be mindful of:

  • Managing waste
  • Conserving, protecting, and regenerating natural resources such as soil, water, and fossil fuels as well as landscapes
  • Protecting the environment from practices that may harm public health
  • Preserving the diversity of plants, animals, and soil nutrients
  • Using ecologically sound practices when it comes to farming and food production and distribution
  • Maintaining and working to improve the economic health and vitality of communities
  • Distributing raw ingredients to food companies, processing and packaging them, and then getting the food to wholesalers, retail outlets, restaurants, and ultimately to your table

  Tools of science and agricultural technology equip farmers and ranchers to manage natural resources. Food producers in the United States—helped by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)—have reduced soil erosion by more than 40 percent in the past three decades. They’ve also encouraged wetland restoration and the production of renewable energy such as from wind and biofuels. Drip irrigation is controlling the amounts of water dispersed so that less is wasted. And with satellite guidance, farmers can plant and use pesticides and fertilizers more precisely. They also can match seeds and production practices to the soil type and climate. Yet, there is still so much to do.

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  Available until 5 Dec |Learn more

  Food Policy in the United States

  An Introduction

  • Parke Wilde(Author)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  3 Food Production and the Environment

  3.1 Introduction

  Food production connects us to each other and to the natural environment. In the 2006 bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan writes, “Though much has been done to obscure this simple fact, how and what we eat determines to a great extent the use we make of the world—and what is to become of it” (Pollan, 2006).

  In discussions of agriculture and the environment, a commonly stated goal is agricultural sustainability. In its original literal meaning, sustainability requires maintaining the resource base on which agriculture depends. More broadly, agricultural sustainability has become a shorthand term for a bundle of environmental, economic and social objectives (National Research Council, 2010; FAO, 2014): satisfying human food, feed and fiber needs and contributing to biofuel needs; enhancing environmental quality and the resource base; sustaining the economic viability of agriculture; and improving the quality of life for farmers, farmworkers and society as a whole. In this broader sense, agricultural sustainability involves environmental objectives addressed in this chapter and also other public interest objectives throughout this book.

  This chapter:

  • introduces economic principles for thinking about environmental externalities (Section 3.2 );
  • summarizes five environmental dilemmas in U.S. food production (Section 3.3 );
  • gives an overview of the global food situation, including trends in food needs and environmental constraints on global food production (Section 3.4 );
  • reviews current policies to address environmental challenges in the U.S. food system (Section 3.5 ); and
  • discusses the contemporary explosion of interest in organic and locally grown food (Section 3.6 ).

  3.2 The Economics of Environmental Externalities

  At their best, markets create a strong incentive for environmentally sound decisions about resource use and the environment. At their worst, private-sector market incentives can generate environmental problems, such as pollution and over-use of valuable resources. This section explores the potential successes and failures of market incentives using a series of examples. In each example, food producers face a difficult decision about how much to produce, with potential environmental consequences.

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  Environmental Science

  • G. Miller, Scott Spoolman(Authors)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  Whether farm- ers have a good or bad year depends on factors over which they have little control, including weather, crop prices, pests and diseases, interest rates on loans, and global food markets. Governments use two main approaches to influence food production with hopes of strengthening food secu- rity. First, they can control food prices by putting a legally mandated upper limit on them to keep them artificially are already finding ways to apply pesticides and fertilizers in smaller amounts and more precisely, using computer- ized tractors and remote sensing and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. Fertilizers can also be mixed and tailored to different soil conditions to help minimize run- off into waterways, and irrigation can be done much more efficiently. Such methods could increase production on the current total area of farmland by 50–60% with a lower harmful environmental impact, according to Foley. Proponents of more sustainable food production sys- tems say that education is an important key to produc- ing and consuming food more sustainably. They seek to inform people, especially young consumers, about where their food really comes from, how it is produced, and what the environmentally harmful effects of food produc- tion are. They also call for economic policies that reward more sustainable agriculture. A major part of such policies would be to shift subsidies from unsustainable to more sustainable food production so that food should be good for people and for the planet, an application of the ethi- cal principle of sustainability. Figure 10.30 lists ways in which you can promote more sustainable food production. 10.6 HOW CAN WE IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY? CONCEPT 10.6 We can improve food security by subsidizing environmentally sustainable food production, producing food more sustainably, reducing poverty and chronic malnutrition, relying more on locally grown food, and cutting food waste.

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  Agricultural Science and Food Security

  • Nekesah T. Wafullah(Author)
  • 2019(Publication Date)
  • Delve Publishing

    (Publisher)

  SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL FOOD PRODUCTION 3 CHAPTER CONTENTS 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 40 3.2 Farming Systems ..................................................................................................... 40 3.3 Common Activities in Food Production ................................................................... 42 3.4 The Role of Women in Food Production ................................................................. 45 3.5 Factors Affecting Food Crops Production ................................................................ 49 3.6 Postharvest Management of Food Crops Produce .................................................... 53 3.7 Mycotoxins Contamination During and After Food Production ............................... 58 Agricultural Science and Food Security 40 3.1 INTRODUCTION Most countries worldwide are experiencing food crises. This has given rise to a growing need for food production systems that are more sustainable. There is a lot of information about food production, but this chapter sought to establish key elements that influence sustainable food production. Some of the main subtopics discussed under include: farming systems, common activities in food production, the role of women in food production, factors affecting food crops production, postharvest management of food crops produce, and mycotoxins contamination during and after food production. Food production has been in existence since the ancient times of hunting and food gathering. Because of the modern technology, food production in terms of yields has improved immensely. However, there are still some countries in developing regions that are still faced with food insecurity. Statistically, it is expected that the world’s population will increase to 8 billion people by the year 2025 (FAO, 2008).

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  Sustainable Food and Agriculture

  An Integrated Approach

  • Clayton Campanhola, Shivaji Pandey(Authors)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Academic Press

    (Publisher)

  Following the definition in the Brundtland Report (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) and adopted by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN, 2015), sustainability is understood as a problem of both intra- and intergenerational equity. The Brundtland Commission described sustainable development as: “…. development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This entails simultaneously addressing both the needs of those who are poor and hungry today and those of future generations, otherwise described as “cooperating with the future” (Hauser et al., 2014). Concerns about the sustainability of food and agriculture as it currently exists are outlined in a recent FAO report— Building a Common Vision for Sustainable Food and Agriculture (FAO, 2014) —which describes sustainability in terms of the following five principles: • Improving efficiency in the use of resources is crucial to sustainable agriculture. • Sustainability requires direct action to conserve, protect, and enhance natural resources. • Agriculture that fails to protect and improve rural livelihoods, equity, and social well-being is unsustainable. • Enhanced resilience of people, communities, and ecosystems is key to sustainable agriculture. • Sustainable food and agriculture (SFA) requires responsible and effective governance mechanisms. For the purpose of this section, we frame sustainability in terms of the conflict between escalating human needs and demands on one side, and increasing resource scarcity and environmental degradation on the other. While this conflict is not new, the decline of environmental conditions and of productive capacity has sharply accelerated recently, notably in the form of climate change. The opposition between the Earth’s natural system and the human system is mediated by food and agriculture, engaged in a coevolution with both sides

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  Innovation in Healthy and Functional Foods

  • Dilip Ghosh, Shantanu Das, Debasis Bagchi, R.B. Smarta, Dilip Ghosh, Shantanu Das, Debasis Bagchi, R.B. Smarta(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • CRC Press

    (Publisher)

  Local.food.production.is.a.vast.and.complex.area.incorporating.multidisciplinary.fields.of.sci-ence,.social.science,.economics,.urban.planning.and.policy,.geography,.health,.and.others . .It.will.be. necessary.to.understand.the.interlinkages.in.order.to.comprehend.the.combined.sustainability.per-formance.of.a.local.food.system . .Connecting.social,.economic,.and.scientific.research.to.policy.and. appropriate.implementation.strategies.for.community.and.home.gardens.will.be.essential.for.suc-cess. .Developing.collaborative.partnerships.between.government.institutions,.private.companies,. nonprofit.organizations,.and.communities.will.provide.foundations.for.initiating.the.local.food.pro-duction. .An.integrated.approach.to.link.local.food,.energy.and.environment.dimensions,.strategic. directions,.sustainability.regulations,.local.innovations,.and.political.commitments.will.be.funda-mental.to.address.future.challenges.of.sustainable.local.food.production . 34.6 CONCLUSIONS In.the.face.of.the.world’s.increasing.food.demand.coupled.with.population.growth,.examining.the.veg-etable.production.potential.of.community.and.home.gardens.offers.us.a.small.window.of.. possibilities. 575 Sustainability of Local Food Production for.addressing.issues.of.sustainable.food.in.the.future.such.as.food.security.and.energy.efficiency,.and. reducing. environmental. impacts. of. emissions. and. pollution . . The. community. and. home. gardens. as. alternative.food.networks.(AFN).are.currently.part.of.a.greater.global.food.movement . .These.local. production.sites.show.significant.potential.and.promise.for.household.self-reliance.and.are.coming.up. noticeably.in.different.parts.of.the.world . .The.increases.in.sales.of.vegetable.seeds,.growing.numbers.of. gardens.in.different.cities.and.towns,.and.peoples’.shifting.motivations.to.growing.food.for.combating. with.increasing.food.prices.establish.these.facts.very.well .

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  The SAGE Handbook of Environment and Society

  • Jules Pretty, Andy Ball, Ted Benton, Julia Guivant, David R Lee, David Orr, Max Pfeffer, Professor Hugh Ward, Jules Pretty, Andy Ball, Ted Benton, Julia Guivant, David R Lee, David Orr, Max Pfeffer, Professor Hugh Ward(Authors)
  • 2007(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications Ltd

    (Publisher)

  The concept of agricultural sustainability has grown from an initial focus on environmental aspects to include first economic and then broader social and political dimensions (Cernea, 1991; DFID, 2002): ● Ecological – the core concerns are to reduce negative environmental and health externalities, to enhance and use local ecosystem resources, and preserve biodiversity. More recent concerns include broader recognition for positive environmental externalities from agriculture (including carbon capture in soils and flood protection). ● Economic – economic perspectives seek to assign value to ecological assets, and also to include a longer time frame in economic analysis. They also highlight subsidies that promote the depletion of resources or unfair competition with other production systems. ● Social and political – there are many concerns about the equity of technological change. At the local level, agricultural sustainability is associated with farmer participation, group action and pro-motion of local institutions, culture and farming communities. At the higher level, the concern is for enabling policies that target poverty reduction. WHAT IS AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY? What do we understand by agricultural sustain-ability? Many different terms have come to be used to imply greater sustainability in some agricultural systems over prevailing ones (both pre-industrial and industrialised). These include sustainable, ecoagriculture, permaculture, organic, ecological, low input, biodynamic, environmentally sensitive, community based, wise use, farm fresh and extensive. There is continuing and intense debate about whether agricultural systems using some of these terms qualify as sustainable (Balfour, 1943; Lampkin and Padel, 1994; Altieri, 1995; Pretty, 1995). Systems high in sustainability are making the best use of nature’s goods and services whilst not damaging these assets (Altieri, 1995; Pretty, 1995, 2002, 2005; Conway, 1997; NRC, 2000; Uphoff, 2002).

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  Together at the Table

  Sustainability and Sustenance in the American Agrifood System

  • Patricia Allen(Author)
  • 2004(Publication Date)
  • Penn State University Press

    (Publisher)

  While research on biological pest control, rotational grazing, intercropping, cover crops, and nutrient management have necessarily provided farmers with less envi- ronmentally damaging production strategies, social science research is needed to create long-term solutions. A natural-science approach is applied even when social change is the goal. As noted by Hamlin (1991: 508–9) in an article on sustainable agriculture, “One cannot help but be struck by the degree to which proposed social changes are sanctioned in appeals to biol- ogy, toxicology and the earth sciences, rather than notions of justice, effec- tive government or progress.” And while alternative agrifood efforts are definitely expanding the units of analysis, the focus and activities are still concentrated on technical aspects of farm-level production. In both the sare and uc sarep programs, research and education dollars are spent primarily on improving agricul- tural production methods. Like conventional agriculture, sustainable agri- culture continues to overlook the equally important distribution, exchange, and consumption components of the agrifood system. This orientation became established early on in the movement, despite its emphasis on whole-systems approaches. More than twenty years ago the Cornucopia Project (1981) undertook a comprehensive study of the U.S. food system. It included many of the issues that span the sustainable agriculture and com- munity food security movement. In addition to focusing on environmen- tal problems in agriculture and market concentration, the published study Empty Breadbasket? had chapters on nutrition and health, urban food sys- tems, and food assistance. Even with its broad focus and call for research on “sustainable food systems,” the areas recommended for research were all agronomic, such as soil management, reduction of agrichemical use, and crop rotations.

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  Sustainable Food Systems

  • Sara Diana Garduno Diaz(Author)
  • 2019(Publication Date)
  • Delve Publishing

    (Publisher)

  Some believe that the promotion of seasonal food also has an important role in reconnecting people with the origins of the food they eat and provides a better understanding of natural growing and production seasons of food (Lang, 2006). Sustainable Food Systems 134 Figure 25: Local food production around the world. Source: International Centre for Tropical Agriculture A year-round supply of fresh produce has been made possible through the intensification of agriculture, the use of new technologies, extending natural production and growing seasons and increased international trade. The expansion of global food markets has created a food culture with a wide variety of foods in many developed countries, where previously this was not possible. While this has given a more varied diet in many countries, this global demand has come at a high environmental cost with higher energy usage, more land use change (resulting in loss of environmental biodiversity) and a loss of species and crop diversity due to an increased use of monocultures in agriculture (DeClarke, 2013). However, to understand the real environmental, health, economic and social benefits of eating seasonal produce, and the limitations, the whole food system needs to be considered. The purpose of the present paper is to explore the environmental and possible health impact of eating seasonal food and how realistic and practical it would be for the population. 5.5.1 Defining Seasonality As with many other aspects of sustainable diets the definition of seasonality is not as simple as it first appears. The interpretation of seasonal food can Determinants of Sustainable Diets 135 vary depending on who is using it and the context in which it is being used. Many consumers for example associate seasonal with locally produced food, but by other definitions local is not a necessary criterion for seasonal food.

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