GEOG 30N
Environment and Society in a Changing World

Agricultural Systems, Food Production and Food Security

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Content Page from Previous Semesters - For Reference Only

When we think of agriculture, we might just think of fields of crops, or pastures of domesticated livestock animals. But the crops and animals do not exist in isolation from the rest of the world. The connections between the crops and aniamls and everything else they interact with form agricultural systems. A systems perspective on agriculture is crucial to understanding how agriculture works and what its significance is to our lives and our planet.

The 'Green Revolution'

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Wheat near Auvers-sur-Oise.
Credit:Wheat by Wikimedia Commons licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

It is important to realize the significant increase of food production as a result of the 'Green Revolution'. Around the world we have seen global food production increasing in the post-war decades of the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s based on the 'Green Revolution'.

The 'Green Revolution' is a scientific model and also a policy approach to increased food production. The scientific model targets the creation of high yielding crop and livestock varieties that respond to inputs of water and chemical fertilizers in particular. Advances in this area has significantly increased the level of world food production including what people call the ‘global south’ or the under-developed countries. The 'Green Revolution' is also a policy, a very international policy, with international centers throughout the world in places such as the Phillipines, Peru and Africa that drive this policy. The purpose of these centers is to disseminate information and policy. To support these types of 'Green Revolution' policies you would also find that subsidies that were provided by the international centers and the national governments to adopt this scientific model.

The Trade-offs - Food Security

This model did increase food production globally but the came with envrionmental and socio-economic trade-offs. One of the trade-offs includes food security – which is socio-economic in nature. The 'Green Revolution' tended to favor the farmers that were already better off. The agro-chemical inputs and water were most accessible to the wealthier farmers and the producers with the better land and more money to purchase these inputs. So, while the policy increased food production in general it did not really improve access to food security uniformly. As a result, the access to food (food security) continues to be a real problem. In fact, if you look back over the years up to the present day you will find that world food supplies have been at a relative low level over the past decade. Right now, although these figures change from month to month, the world’s grain supply is at about 40-50 days. This is the lowest level since the late 1990’s. (One of the reasons for this is the diversion of grain supplies for ethanol production and other non-food purposes.) But the main message here is that this is a sign that the 'Green Revolution' did not reach everyone.

The Trade-offs - Ecosystems Functions

Here too the 'Green Revolution' had a trade-off in terms of ecosystem function or environmental impact because of the heavy use and reliance on water supplies. For example, irrigation through surface water and groundwater has led to the overuse of waters and the depletion of water and the over-drafting of the water tables. Along with this there is a heavy reliance on agro-chemicals in the 'Green Revolution' which has led to the over use of these and has resulted in water pollution. Soil erosion has also become a major problem.

When we think of agriculture we need to recognize that it is both an environmental system as well as a social and economic system. In addition, it is important to see agriculture as another form of an ecosystem and that there is a wide range of agro-ecosystem types. This range varies from highly intensive industrial agriculture. In the Biodiversity module we talk about soybean production in the Amazon as an example of intensive industrial agriculture. Corn and soybean farming in the U.S. is another example. At the other end of the spectrum are very low impact forms of agriculture. One of the most important low impact forms of agriculture is called shifting cultivation in the rain forest where it is known as ‘slash and burn’. In addition, there are various intermediate types of agro-ecosystems as well.

Later we will also talk about the role of biodiversity in agriculture. As you will see agro-ecosystems that involve biodiversity play a key role in providing functionality, productivity and stability to an agro-ecosystem. Biodiversity and agro-ecosystems include the crop plants themselves as well as the wild crop relatives in addition to the diversity of soil organisms, insects, etc. – you need to see the complete range of biodiversity as a part of the full agro-ecosystem.

To begin, to illustrate the importance of analyzing agriculture as a system, let's next consider two examples: slash & burn agriculture and industrialized agriculture.