Can the World Feed Itself?

1. Can the World Feed Itself? J.G. Mexal A/H 100G

2. Can the World Feed Itself?/AP 10/12/99 No. (billion) 1999 Year (A.D.)

3. Can the World Feed Itself?

4. We are what we eat!

5. Change in food consumption/Britain Consumption (g/cap/d) Year

6. Can the World Feed Itself? Chrispeels & Sadava 1994

7. Origin of Cultivated Plants 1 =China Peach, Walnut, Persimmon, Tea, Soybean, Horseradish, Chinese cabbage, Cucumber 7 = North America Pecan, Sunflower, Tobacco 6 = Africa Yam, Sorghum, Okra, Melons, Cotton, Oil palm, Castor bean 8 = South/Central America Chile, Corn, Peanut, Potato, Bean, Cashew, Pineapple, Avocado, Cotton, Cacao, Pumpkin, Squash, Rubber, Vanilla 4,5 Near Eastern Region Wheat, Barley, Pea, Asparagus, Carrot, Olive, Stone fruits, Apple, Pear, Flax, Onion, Cabbage, Broccoli 2 =South Asia/Pacific Sugar cane, Eggplant, Mango, Banana, Citrus, Black pepper, Jute, Hemp, Coconut, Rice, Onion

8. Fibers Cotton Rayon Flax Hemp Jute Ramie Sisal Tencel Annual Production 14 KK tons ? (wood) 1 KK tons (phloem) 0.250 KK tons (phloem) ? (bark) ? 0.050 KK tons (Agave leaves) ? (wood) Grains, Forages & Fibers

9. Grains, Forages & Fibers

10. Grain Rice Wheat Maize (corn) Barley Sorghum Oats Millet Rye Annual Production 350 KK tons 400 KK tons 350 KK tons 180 KK tons 55 KK tons 50 KK tons 40 KK tons 30 KK tons Grains, Forages & Fibers Avg yield = 4 t/ha Feeds 60% of world population (China & India) • Area (KK ha) • 146 • 232 • 140 • 77 • 55 • -- • 42 • --

11. Foodstuffs

12. Production #1 Corn (10.1 kkk bu/yr) Tomatoes Soybeans Almonds Walnuts Strawberries Citrus (lemons, limes, grapefruits) Paper Cigarettes Beer Production #3 Vegetables Fruits Sugar #4 Tobacco Potatoes Cucumbers #10 sunflower seeds US Agriculture/Parade Magazine 1997

13. Imports = #1 Tractors Bananas Coffee Vanilla Pepper Pimientos Cocoa Oats Pineapples Castor oil Beer Distilled alcohol bevereges Exports = #1 Cotton Wheat Fruits Nuts Corn Soybeans Apples Fertilizers Pesticides US Agriculture/Parade Magazine 1997 Consumer: #1 Cocaine Gin Paper #4 Calories/capita

14. Changing Technology Chrispeels & Sadava 1994

15. Dryland vs Irrigated Agriculture in the US/ Alternative Agriculture

16. New Mexico Agriculture

17. New Mexico Agriculture Crop income down 6%

18. New Mexico Agriculture Chile acreage down 43%-NAFTA

19. New Mexico Agriculture Cotton acreage down 34%-China/India

20. New Mexico Agriculture Corn acreage down 43%-drought

21. New Mexico Agriculture Wheat acreage up 27%- replaced corn?

22. New Mexico Agriculture Pecan acreage up 31%- Hi $ / lo inputs

23. What is Sustainable Agriculture? • Environmental Groups: “Sustainable agriculture means providing food in ways that do not contaminate the environment or harm humans.” Maureen Hinkle, National Audubon Society • Academia: “There must be a major commitment to a viable farm sector, rural communities, enhanced environmental quality, and overall improvement in quality of life for the farm sector and society as a whole.” G.S. Bird, Michigan St U. • Agricultural Research Firms: “Sustainable agriculture is a high-tech industry that achieves high productivity by drawing on the best in modern agricultural science.” R.L. Thompson, Winrock International • Alternative Agriculture: “A sustainable agriculture is one that can be maintained indefinitely.” Youngberg, H.A. Wallace Inst. Alternative Agriculture • Agricultural Groups: “Sustainable ag is an effort to develop production systems that maintain yields while increasing efficiency of inputs, minimizing the potential for harmful side-effects, and decreasing dependency on nonrenewable resources.” D.R. Swaim, Crop Consultant

24. Top 10 Reasons to Buy OrganicSource: Organic Times 1992 • Protect future generations—“The average child receives four times more • exposure than an adult to at least 8 widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food.” • Prevent soil erosion--- “...3 billion tons of topsoil are eroded...each year.” • Protect water quality--- “EPA estimates pesticides contaminate the groundwater in 38 states.” • Save energy--- “Farming consumes 12% of the country’s total energy supply.” • Keep chemicals off your plate--- “NAS estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 1.4 million cancer cases.” • Protect farm worker health--- “Farmers have a 6X greater risk than non-farmers of contracting cancer.” • Help small farmers---“Organic farming could be one of the few survival tactics left for family farms.” • Support a true economy---“Conventional food prices do not reflect hidden costs borne by taxpayers, including nearly $74 billion in federal subsidies.” • Promote biodiversity---“Lack of natural diversity of plant life has left the soil lacking in natural minerals and nutrients.” • Taste better flavor---“They taste better!”

25. Projected Global Pesticide Sales/ Business Communication Co. 2006 Pesticides 4.6% 2.6% Billion Dollars

26. Organic Foods May Be Hazardous to Your Health!Is That True? J.G. Mexal Department Curmudgeon

27. Organic FoodIs That True? Organic Food Production • Is not sustainable! • Is not better for the plant! • Is not better for the producer! • Is not better for the consumer! • Is not better for the environment!

28. Organic FoodIs That True? Organic Food Production • Is not sustainable! • N deposition (natural fertilization) = 5-10 kg/ha/yr • Sustainable harvest = 250-500 kg/ha/yr (@2%N) • Not enough O.M. in Mesilla Valley • 44,000 milk cows produce over 16,000 t OM/yr • 1 t OM ~ 10 kg N (50% available in Yr-1) • 60,000 ac X 20 t OM/ac = 1,200,000 t OM/yr • Need over 3 million cows in Doña Ana Co.

29. Organic FoodIs That True? Organic Food Production • Is not sustainable! • Is not better for the plant! • Plants absorb inorganic nutrients • No vitamins, no amino acids, etc • Regardless of source (organic, inorganic) • Actually, a lot of the work is done by beneficial fungi (this is a hint)

30. Organic FoodIs That True? Organic Food Production • Is not sustainable! • Is not better for the plant! • Is not better for the producer! • Anything profitable, will be ‘WalMartisized’ • Innovators have only a small window of opportunity or niche

31. Organic FoodIs That True? Organic Food Production • Is not sustainable! • Is not better for the plant! • Is not better for the producer! • Is not better for the consumer! • More expensive (30% to 100% higher cost) • Not safer • No nutritional benefit • How can it be????? • Picked closer to maturity (applies to Farmer’s Market [picked fresh])

32. Organic FoodIs That True? Organic Food Production • Is not sustainable! • Is not better for the plant! • Is not better for the producer! • Is not better for the consumer! • Is not better for the environment!

33. Organic FoodIs That True? • What’s wrong with our food? • Too cheap (<11% of our disposable income) • Too readily available • Fast food • Improperly prepared (even the salads) • We have Supersized everything we eat, but Minisized our caloric expenditures. • More people die bicycling than from pesticide residue on foods • Food deaths are caused by handling contamination (fecal)

34. Activity Smoking Alcohol Driving Handguns Swimming Flying Bicycles Skiing Food additives Pesticides Deaths/year 150,000 100,000 50,000 17,000 3,000 1,300 1,000 18 <1 <1 Here are some real risks!

35. Pesticide Toxicity • Chemical LD50 (mg/kg) • Dipel 10,000 • Surflan 10,000 • B-Nine 8,400 • Insecticidal soap 5,068 • Pyrethrum <1,500 • Diazinon <735 • Orthene 945 • Sevin 500 • Bordeaux 470 • Temik 0.9