Environment vs Food

1. Environment vs Food

2. Myth • To feed the hungry we are pushing production onto marginal land • destroying rainforests • causing erosion • poisoning the environment with pesticides • Cannot feed the hungry and protect the environment

3. Environmental Destruction • 70% of 5.2 billion hectares of ag land is in danger of being turned into desert • At current rates, rain forests will be destroyed in 40 years • Global pesticide use 4.7 billion tons/yr. • 220,000 die each year from pesticide poisoning

4. Africa • Traditional agriculture preserved semi-arid land • diverse mix of crops, trees and livestock • 19th century colonists view: • Land is a mine to extract wealth from • Monoculture of export crops without rotation • quickly depleted soil • Peanuts, cotton • Best land for Europeans • worst land for Africans

5. Africa • With independence (1960s) • cash crops needed • Low prices encouraged more planting • Livestock displaced to drier lands • increased desertification • Now pastorialism is equated with poverty

6. U.S. Soil Destruction • 30% of farmland abandoned since 18th century • Erosion • Salinization • water logging • 1/3 of U.S. topsoil has been lost • 1/2 of U.S. pastureland overgrazed • erodes at high rate • Export boom in 1970s • increased erosion in Corn Belt 39% • in three years Dustbowl 1930s

7. Iowa Topsoil Loss • 150 years ago, Iowa topsoil was 12-16” deep • Now is 6-8” deep • Current rate of loss: 10-15 tons/acre/year

8. Global Soil Degradation

10. Rain Forests • Rainforests 7% of land • 50% of plant and animal species • Source of • Beauty • CO2sink • Pharmaceuticals • Chocolate, cashews, bananas, brazil nuts, cortisone, quinine

11. Rain Forest Destruction • In 20th century rain forests depleted 50% • At current deforestation rates, rainforests will be totally cleared in 40 years • Amazon is being destroyed at a rate of 20,000 sq miles/year

12. Rondonia, Brazil • 1980s displaced poor farmers flooded Amazon region • slashed and burned to clear land, plant crops • Displaced indigenous peoples • Most failed after few seasons when land exhausted • Cattle ranchers then moved onto land • 1990s: Cattle, Soybeans, Logging destroy forest

13. Rainforests of the World

14. Deforestation: Bolivia • 80% clearing carried out by large land holders for cattle, soybeans • 20% cleared by small farmers • Thus most of clearing is not to feed hungry

15. Deforestation: Central America • Most of the tropical rain forest has been affected by: • Logging • Banana Plantations • Cattle Ranching

16. Deforestation: Indonesia • 1997-8 tropical fires created huge smoke cloud • thousands of square miles • Fires blamed on poor • clearing land • Actually, most from • Logging • plantations

17. Pesticides • 4.7 billion tons pesticides used worldwide • 2 billion pounds in U.S. • 25% in California • 7 lb for every person • Pesticide poisoning in U.S. : 300,000 farmworkers/ yr • 30% U.S. use for corn, wheat. • 25% U.S. use in golf courses and lawns

18. US Geological Survey 1997

19. Iowa Atrazine Use 2003 • Area applied – 70% of 12.4 million acres in corn • Application rate: • 0.91 lbs/Acre = 582 lbs/section • Total Applied: 8,598,000 lbs (2003) • Total area Iowa: 56,000 sq miles • 153 lbs/section on average • Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

20. Pesticides in Developing Countries • The most harmful pesticides banned in U.S. • Used, made in developing countries • Without much protection to workers • Used for export fruit, vegetables • About 50% used for appearances • Not used for staple crops in developing countries • Expensive • Mixed cropping of staple crops less susceptible

21. Pesticides in Developing Countries • Protection for workers low • Regulations lax • Toxicity education poor Mexican girl drinking from pesticide container

22. Pesticides • Despite 10x increase in toxicity • crop losses have doubled from insect pests • 0.1% pesticides reaches pests. • Rest into environment

23. Pesticide Treadmill • Central America increased cotton production • between 1945-1970 • Boom displaced small scale food producers • resulting in unrest, violence • Boom made possible by pesticide spraying for Boll Weevil • At first, sprayed only few times/season • Insects develop resistance to insecticide • Requires spraying more

24. Pesticide Treadmill • By mid-1960s were spraying 10 times/season • Pesticides killed natural insect predators • Eventually spraying 40 times/season • costing 50% of production • Cost too high, leading to Bust • Now wasted, eroded soils • ghost towns • Cotton boom- bust increased hunger • left economic ruin • environmental devastation