Objectives
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
- Explain how current agricultural practices contribute to declining freshwater resources, deforestation, soil erosion and climate change
- Explain the link between deforestation and climate change
- Compare the scale of water consumption for domestic home use with those of industrial agriculture
- Identify and explain two competing visions for the future of food
- Explain what satellite technology has allowed us to learn about Amazon deforestation
- Define regenerative agriculture
Introduction
Agriculture – the activity by which humans transform the physical environment to meet their food needs by growing crops and raising livestock – is one of the most resource-intensive activities on the planet. Globally, 70% of freshwater used by people is used for agriculture , and the environmental impact of the sector doesn’t stop there. Current agricultural practices are responsible for nearly 90%of deforestation worldwide and for nearly a fifth ofall greenhouse gas emissions , according to the U.N., though some estimates suggest that the sector’s share of global emissions actually exceeds30% . Agriculture is also responsible for a crisis of soil-erosion that threatens biodiversity and the fertility of the soil itself .
Analyzing the extent of agriculture’s mammoth claim on our natural resources, and its contribution to climate change, would be a bleak task if the end result were simply data that came in the form of large numbers affixed to measurements of gallons of water or pesticides used, acres of forest razed, or tons of topsoil lost to erosion, or greenhouses gases emitted to the atmosphere. That data is crucial, of course, to understanding agriculture’s environmental impact, but what makes the study of resource use in agriculture exciting – and even, possibly, a source for optimism – are the changes currently underway to secure a sustainable future in agriculture that will allow us to meet the challenge of feeding an estimated global population of 10billion by the year 2050 . There is broad consensus that current agricultural practices must change as population pressures meet climate realities. What remains hotly contested are whether sustainability solutions in agriculture are to be found at the cutting-edge of advanced technology , or through the practices of regenerative agriculture , which proponents describe as a suite of practices designed to maximize soil health, and which they argue can make agriculture a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change, and for food and water security.
This module will take a brief look at sustainability and resource use in the agricultural sector, particularly with regard to water, deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and the erosion of topsoil. It will then look to the future of agriculture through the lens of sustainability, and examine exciting agricultural innovations occurring both at the forefront of technological innovation as well as through new understandings of the ways that agricultural practices that foster healthy soil can assist us in meeting the environmental challenges of the 21 st century.
Water: Agriculture’s Big Gulp
According to the EPA, the average American family uses more than 300 gallonsof water per day at home. That’s a lot of water, but it pales in comparison to the amount of water that it takes to grow the food that we eat, or the fibers that we wear, each day. The numbers are stunning. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it takes about 200 gallons of water to produce a loaf of bread, 35 gallons for a cup of coffee, 110 gallons for a pound of corn, 650 gallons for a cotton shirt, and a whopping 1840 gallons to produce a pound of hamburger. You can find the water footprint of other common foods and products here , and if you’re interested in calculating your own, personal water footprint, you can do so here .
But what do those eye-popping numbers actually mean with regard to environmental sustainability, and how does agriculture’s intensive use of our water resources impact particular places? In the U.S., an urgent example of water usage rapidly reaching its limits can be found in the High Plains region, an area encompassing most of Nebraska, South Dakota, western Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, and parts of eastern New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. The climate is semi-arid, with average levels of annual precipitation ranging from 14– 30 inches across the region (compare this to Atlanta, which receives about 50 inches annually ). And yet it is one of the most agriculturally productive areas of the country. Known as the nation’s “breadbasket,” it produces at least 20% of the annual agricultural harvest of the U.S ., and is a leading producer of wheat, corn, cotton , and beef .
But where does the region get the water necessary to engage in such water-intensive agricultural activity, if not from annual precipitation? The answer lies underground, in the Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, an enormous underground water resources that lies underneath eight states, and which contains so much water that if it were emptied above ground, it would cover the entire United States in water 1.5 feet deep .
Now we can consider what the shocking numbers that we noted above – 200 gallons of water to produce a loaf of bread, 110 gallons for a pound of corn, 650 for a cotton shirt, and 1840 for a pound of hamburger – might mean for an arid region relying on an underground water source to produce wheat, corn, cotton, and beef.
Watch the three videos linked below, and be able to answer the following questions:
1) What is “recharge,” and how long does it take?
2) What are some other major aquifers around the world that are currently suffering from rapid depletion?
3) What water-saving technology has allowed Israeli farmers to become six or seven times more efficient, with respect to water usage, in recent decades?
Video: Sustainability: Water – The Ogallala Aquifer
Video: Crop Irrigation Is Closely Tied to Groundwater Depletion Around the World
Video: Grow More With Less (Water)
Agriculture & Deforestation: How Chocolate Cuts Down Trees
In addition to being by far the biggest user of freshwater on earth, agriculture is also responsible for the vast majority of deforestation taking place around the world, with the most recent estimate of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) attributing nearly90% of all deforestation around the world to agricultural expansion . Since 1990, over 1 billion acres of forest have been lost due to deforestation . This loss of forest threatens the livelihoods of those who depend on forest resources to meet a variety of basic needs, including “ food, fodder, shelter, energy, medicine, and income generation .” Deforestation also threatens biodiversity. Forests provide habitat for the majority of life forms on earth, including 80% of amphibian species, 75% of bird species, and 68% of mammal species . Of the 60,082 tree species that have been identified worldwide, 20,334– more than one-third – have been identified as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while “ 8% of assessed forest plants, 5% of forest animals, and 5% of fungi found in forests are currently listed as critically endangered ,” which means that they face a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
Deforestation also contributes directly to climate change, with an estimated 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions from human activity attributable to land-use change . Deforestation contributes to climate change in three major ways . Plants remove carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. By cutting down trees, we are losing powerful allies in our effort to reduce atmospheric carbon. Further, trees are 50% carbon by dry weight , and release this carbon back into the atmosphere as they decompose after being felled – this release takes place immediately, of course, if they are burned. Finally, the activity taking place in the previously forested area is quite often one with a significant carbon footprint.
The use of satellite imagery has allowed scientists to track global deforestation with increasing precision . In South America and Southeast Asia, the expansion of commodity crop production – including beef, soybeans, palm oil, corn and cotton – has been identified as the primary driver of deforestation. In the West African countries of Ghana and Ivory Coast, which together account for nearly60% of global cocoa production , the expansion of cocoa production has been the chief driver in a process that has resulted in a crisis of deforestation, particularly in Ivory Coast, which has lost 90% of its forests since 1960 , and 25% from 2002-2019 .
Watch the two videos linked below, and be able to answer the following questions:
1) About how big is the Amazon rainforest?
2) What does Landsat satellite data allow us to know about deforestation in the Amazon?
3) The area that’s been deforested in the Brazilian Amazon is about the size of _____________.
4) Landsat satellites allowed scientists to determine that 99% of all deforestation that happened in Brazil in 2019 was __________________.
5) In Ivory Coast, cocoa makes up _____% of all exports.
6) What is the “nightmare scenario” for Ivory Coast referenced in the video?
7) What measures are being undertaken in Ivory Coast to combat deforestation?
Video: Tracking Amazon Deforestation
Video: Bad News for Chocolate Lovers? Cocoa in Ivory Coast Threatened By Deforestation
Stop Treating Soil Like Dirt: The Hidden Crisis Beneath Our Feet
Although often taken for granted, soil is a crucial and finite resource, which means that “ its loss and degradation [are] not recoverable within a human lifespan .” Soil is not dirt, which is devoid of life. Rather, soils are teeming ecosystems, and are home to an estimated 25% of the planet’s biodiversity . We are dependent on soil for as much as 95% of our food production , and yet this vital resource is threatened by unsustainable practices that have already degraded an estimated 1/3 of global cropland , and which experts predict could lead to a10% loss in crop production by 2050 .
Soil erosion refers to the loss of topsoil, “ the fertile materialvital to life .” Erosion occurs through natural processes when “ dirt is left exposedto strong winds, hard rains, and flowing water .” Human activity directly causes and exacerbates soil erosion through activities that result in bare, uncovered soil that then becomes vulnerable to erosion. Leading human causes of soil erosion include tilling, deforestation, and the overgrazing of livestock that removes protective plant covering from the soil . Tilling is also a significant contributor to atmospheric carbon, as it releases carbon previously stored in the soil into the atmosphere as CO2 .
Watch video linked below, and be able to answer the following questions.
1) What is the difference between healthy and unhealthy soil, as described by the video?
2) According the video, why should we care about the state of the world’s soils?
3) What efforts are being made in France to restore the soil?
Climate Change and the Future of Food
Recent studies suggest that the world’s agri-food systems – not just farm activity, but all of the interrelated activities that bring food from farm to table – is responsible for an estimated 31% of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions . The recognition that our currently unsustainable practices of agricultural production are a principle driver of climate change, and the interrelated crises of soil health and water security, has forged a consensus that current practices must change. In fact the changes are already underway.
But the consensus that change is necessary has not resulted in a consensus over the types of changes that can lead to a sustainable, abundant food future. Broadly speaking, the two camps are comprised of adherents of regenerative agriculture, or “conservation agriculture,” as it was referred to in the “Dying Soil” video above, and those who insist that it is farming at the cutting-edge of technology, with genetically modified climate-resilient crops , smart-irrigation systems , and new processes of genetic engineering that can give plant-based ingredients the taste and texture of meat . By contrast, those in favor of regenerative agriculture argue for making healthy soil itself the goal , and by achieving it through a suite of practices including no-till agriculture (minimal soil disturbance), keeping the soil covered year-round byplanting “cover crops” after harvest, and restoring biodiversity to agricultural lands by practicing polyculture – the planting of a variety of crops together – as opposed to industrial agriculture’s typical practice, known as monoculture, of planting a single commodity crop. Implementing these practices, they argue, will increase soil fertility, maximize the soil’s potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and increase the soil’s capacity to absorb and retain water . These results, they argue, will render unnecessary the expensive innovations being promoted by the high-tech crowd.
Of course, there is nothing inherent in either position that renders them mutually exclusive. It’s possible to implement farming practices that promote soil health while reaping the benefits of the latest technologies. What is indisputable is that current practices must change – the health and stability of our critical resources of soil, water and climate depend on it
Watch “future of food” video, linked below, and be able to answer the following questions:
1) According to the video, why is it important to make food sustainable?
2) What are the “foods of the future” discussed in the video?
3) What do the experts in the video say about small-scale organic agriculture as a solution to the problems they discuss?
Video: What’s the Future of Food?
Watch the “regenerative agriculture” video, linked below, and be able to answer the following questions:
1) According to the video, are “organic agriculture” and “regenerative agriculture” the same thing?
2) What are the three types of regenerative agriculture discussed in the video?
3) What makes “regenerative grazing” a sustainable alternative to its traditional counterpart?
4) What is a food forest?
Video: What Is Regenerative Agriculture?
Recent studies suggest that the world’s agri-food systems – not just farm activity, but all of the interrelated activities that bring food from farm to table – is responsible for an estimated 31% of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions . The recognition that our currently unsustainable practices of agricultural production are a principle driver of climate change, and the interrelated crises of soil health and water security, has forged a consensus that current practices must change. In fact the changes are already underway.
But the consensus that change is necessary has not resulted in a consensus over the types of changes that can lead to a sustainable, abundant food future. Broadly speaking, the two camps are comprised of adherents of regenerative agriculture, or “conservation agriculture,” as it was referred to in the “Dying Soil” video above, and those who insist that it is farming at the cutting-edge of technology, with genetically modified climate-resilient crops , smart-irrigation systems , and new processes of genetic engineering that can give plant-based ingredients the taste and texture of meat . By contrast, those in favor of regenerative agriculture argue for making healthy soil itself the goal , and by achieving it through a suite of practices including no-till agriculture (minimal soil disturbance), keeping the soil covered year-round byplanting “cover crops” after harvest, and restoring biodiversity to agricultural lands by practicing polyculture – the planting of a variety of crops together – as opposed to industrial agriculture’s typical practice, known as monoculture, of planting a single commodity crop. Implementing these practices, they argue, will increase soil fertility, maximize the soil’s potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and increase the soil’s capacity to absorb and retain water . These results, they argue, will render unnecessary the expensive innovations being promoted by the high-tech crowd.
Of course, there is nothing inherent in either position that renders them mutually exclusive. It’s possible to implement farming practices that promote soil health while reaping the benefits of the latest technologies. What is indisputable is that current practices must change – the health and stability of our critical resources of soil, water and climate depend on it
Watch “future of food” video, linked below, and be able to answer the following questions:
1) According to the video, why is it important to make food sustainable?
2) What are the “foods of the future” discussed in the video?
3) What do the experts in the video say about small-scale organic agriculture as a solution to the problems they discuss?
Video: What’s the Future of Food?
Watch the “regenerative agriculture” video, linked below, and be able to answer the following questions:
1) According to the video, are “organic agriculture” and “regenerative agriculture” the same thing?
2) What are the three types of regenerative agriculture discussed in the video?
3) What makes “regenerative grazing” a sustainable alternative to its traditional counterpart?
4) What is a food forest?
Video: What Is Regenerative Agriculture?
Note: If the idea of a food forest sounds interesting to you, check out KSU’s very own agroforestry project at the KSU Food Forest! Follow on Instgram @KSU Food Forest to learn how to get involved!
