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U1 P7 assignment brief and learner submission

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Use this as a writing frame

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What are the problems of industrial agriculture?

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What are the problems of industrial agriculture?

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FoodPrint covers all of the most pressing issues in food production, helping visitors to our site understand how these issues affect their foodprints, and how these issues are interconnected. We've organized them into these major topic areas.

Explore the FoodPrint Reports

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Issues in Food Production: Environment, Animals and People | FoodPrint

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FoodPrint covers all of the most pressing issues in food production, helping visitors to our site understand how these issues affect their foodprints, and how these issues are interconnected. We've organized them into these major topic areas. Explore the FoodPrint Reports

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Some of the barriers to sustainable forestry

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Forestry Commission - sustainable forestry

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Forestry Commission - sustainable forest management

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Intro to 'what is sustainable forestry?'

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Intro to 'what is sustainable forestry?'

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Sustainable management of the forest

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A secondary school revision resource for GCSE Geography on human uses of rainforests, including a case study on the Amazon rainforest.

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A sustainable forest is a forest that is carefully managed so that as trees are felled they are replaced with seedlings that eventually grow into mature trees. This is a carefully and skilfully managed system. The forest is a working environment, producing wood products such as wood pulp for the paper / card industry and wood based materials for furniture manufacture and the construction industry.

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Ten things you should know about sustainable agriculture

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Ten things you should know about sustainable agriculture

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In a recent live chat, a panel of experts joined readers online to discuss the future of sustainable agriculture in the face of changing weather driven by climate change and increasing competition for food. Here are 10 things we learned:

1. We shouldn't just "accept" climate change

Just because climate change is happening and its effects are already being felt, we shouldn't give up on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural GHG emissions, make up about 25% of global GHG emissions, but there's a lot that can be done to reduce this.

Richard Waite, associate, Food, Forests and Water Program, World Resources Institute explains: "By intensifying agriculture on existing land and protecting the remaining forests, we can eliminate emissions from land-use change. And by addressing key emissions from agricultural production - from cows and other ruminants, from fertilizers, and from rice production practices, we can greatly reduce emissions from agricultural production."

2. We don't need to "accept" a world with 9.6 billion people by 2050

The world population is growing, but fertility rates have fallen rapidly over the last few decades as girls gain better access to education and reproductive health services. African governments have made health and education a priority but greater investment could reduce the population challenge and the demand for food.

This is especially important in sub-Saharan Africa where half of population growth between now and 2050 will occur. A recent report from WRI estimates that achieving replacement level fertility (the rate of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next) in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2050 would reduce food demand by around 600tn kilocalories (kcal) per year by the mid-century. This would close 9% of the 6,500tn kcal per year global gap between food available in 2006 and food needed in 2050.

3. Switching crops is the future

Emphasis will be on climate smart agriculture in the short-term, but in 10 to 20 years time, the focus will be on switching crops, says Jason Clay, senior vice president, market transformation, WWF. As climate change affects commercial crops, alternatives will have to be sought out. Clay points that sorghum is already being substituted for corn and maize because it can be used in feed and produce like beer. In Mexico, the government is looking to varieties of cocoa to replace coffee crops, which may not be suitable to grow by 2025 due to blight and heat as a consequence of climate change.

With the right technical assistance and packages of better genetics, management practice and inputs, switching crops could be an opportunity for smaller farmers struggling with current crops to leapfrog previous performance and become more productive.

4. Research breakthroughs need more investment

Moving to adapted crop varieties that are more resilient to climate change is feasible, says Chris Brown, general manager for environmental sustainability, at agri-business Olam International. But for the next wave of research breakthroughs, the FAO has estimated that we will need $45-$50bn annual spending globally. It's currently at $4bn.

5. Cultivating trees on farms can boost crop yields

According to Waite, over the last few decades, farmers in Niger have managed the natural regrowth of native Faidherbia trees across 5m hectares. The Faidherbia fixes nitrogen in the soil, protects fields from wind and water erosion and contributes organic matter to soils when its leaves drop. Compared to conventional farms in the country, yields of maize in these agroforestry systems can be doubled and farmers in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia are taking note.

6. Small-scale farmers are vital to domestic food security

Small-scale farmers have a guaranteed and growing market for staple crops, but the UK produces 24% less food than it consumes, says Charles Tassell, farmer and co-founder of AgriChatUK. This comes today, as MPs warn that the UK's ability to feed itself is threatened by complacency. Over the last 20 years, the UK's self-sufficiency for domestically-grown food has fallen from 87% to 68%, while yields of its most important staple crop, wheat, have not increased for at least the last 15 years.

Brown argues that governments, banks and companies must coordinate to support the 500m global smallholders to scale-up agri-production enterprises. This support should include legal land tenure, global policies for a level playing field, access to capital and markets, structured training (both agriculture and business development), and investment in technology and infrastructure.

7. Urban farms suit tomatoes, not cows

If urban farmers reduce the need for transport, refrigeration and packaging, and source inputs from local waste streams, then city farms could offer a sustainable alternative for growing fruit and vegetables, says Oscar Rodriguez, director of Architecture and Food. However, livestock farming and urban living make a less practical combination.

8. Meat is off the menu

Achieving replacement level fertility, reducing food loss and waste, reducing biofuel demand for food crops and shifting our diets, will all go some way to closing the gap between food available and food required. Any meaningful change to consumption patterns and the environmental impacts of food production though, will have to involve knocking animal products off the menu, especially beef. Chris Hunt, director of GRACE's food program, points to consumer campaigns like Meatless Monday as evidence of trending in the right direction.

9. The definition of a "good" farmer is culturally complex

What is good criteria for one person, may be shocking for another, says Louise Manning, senior lecturer in food production management, Royal Agricultural University. In terms of animal welfare, stocking density might be considered an indicator of negative performance but in terms of resource management, a positive one.

10. Everyone has a role to play

The WRI report on Creating a Sustainable Food Future estimates that we need about 70% more food in 2050 than we have today in order to provide every one of the 9.6 billion world population with a daily intake of 3,000 calories. It's a huge challenge, but unlike other sustainability challenges, everyone can play a part in the solution.

Everyone needs to eat, so be it reducing food loss and waste, eating lower-impact diets or investing in sustainable production - countries, companies, and consumers can make a difference. Surrounded by abundance, the challenge is making consumers care. On this, Liz Bowles, head of farming at the Soil Association, points out that if everyone tried to grow their own vegetables it would bring home just how difficult food production is.
The food hub is funded by The Irish Food Board. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox Topics

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10 things you need to know about sustainable agriculture

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In a recent live chat, a panel of experts joined readers online to discuss the future of sustainable agriculture in the face of changing weather driven by climate change and increasing competition for food. Here are 10 things we learned: Just because climate change is happening and its effects are already being felt, we shouldn't give up on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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How we can transition to a sustainable food source

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Learn more about sustainable agriculture practices and the positive impacts on the environment, animals and people, from FoodPrint.

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Aquaculture - problems and potential solutions

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Aquaculture - problems and potential solutions

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Greenpeace seeks to ensure clean and healthy oceans for the future, and part of this is working to improve the standards of international seafood trade. As wild stocks decline, the demand for farmed shrimp, salmon, tuna, tilapia and other marine finfish is on the rise. Therefore, due to its sheer size and its impacts on the oceans, the aquaculture industry is an important part of the overall picture.

Aquaculture is not a solution to overfishing. Traditional forms of aquaculture can and do make substantial contributions to food supplies in areas of the world where food needs are acute, but these need to be sustainable.

Many modern aquaculture practices emphasise the unsustainable production of species for high-value export markets. Rapid development and expansion of intensive aquaculture for species such as salmon and shrimp has, for example, resulted in widespread degradation of the environment and the displacement of coastal fishing and farming communities.

Unsustainable aquaculture also negatively impacts on the food supplies and food security of developing coastal countries. Aquaculture development often blocks access to common lands, used by local people for fishing and cleaning (collecting of seafood from the ground), and takes away traditional food sources, for use in fishmeal and oil production for aquaculture production.

What are the main problems with aquaculture?

Unsustainable aquaculture can devastate our oceans and the environment and impact on local people's food and security.

Some examples include:

the extraction of marine species from oceans, including wild juveniles vital for future stock growth, increasing the burden on wild fish stocks and having major food security implications;

fishmeal and so-called 'trash fish' used for feed production - often the main food for local people - taken for use in aquaculture ponds;

the release of organic wastes (that, for instance, act as plant nutrients for harmful algal blooms) and toxic effluents into the oceans;

the destruction of coastal ecosystems, displacement of coastal communities and depletion of fresh water sources to build aquaculture ponds.

What kind of aquaculture is sustainable?

There are no species that are sustainable as such. The sustainability of a species depends on its feeding and lifecycle habits, as well as the farming operation. Only species that are plant eaters, who can breed in captivity, and whose farming does not produce high levels of nutrient output can be cultivated sustainably.

There are a number of conditions an aquaculture operation must adhere to in order to be sustainable. Among other things, an aquaculture operation can only be regarded as sustainable if it:

is continually moving towards plant-based feeds originating from sustainable agriculture;

does not use fishmeal or fish-oil-based feeds from unsustainable fisheries and does not represent a net loss in fish protein yield;

does not use wild-caught juveniles;

only cultivates species that are native in open water systems, and then only in bag nets, closed-wall sea-pens or equivalent systems (if there is cultivation of non-native species, it must be restricted to land-based tanks);

does not result in negative environmental impacts in terms of discharges and effluents to the surrounding areas;

does not result in negative effects to local wildlife (plants as well as animals) or represents a risk to local wild populations;

does not use genetically engineered fish or feed;

uses stocking densities that minimise the risk of disease outbreaks and transmission;

does not deplete local resources, for example, drinking water supplies and mangrove forests;

does not threaten human health;

supports the long-term economic and social well-being of local communities.

Achieving sustainability requires adhering to a full set of measures and cannot be reached through simply implementing one or two.

How can consumers be sure that the products they buy come from sustainable and fair aquaculture?

No current certification scheme covers all of the issues essential to ensure products come from sustainable and fair aquaculture operations. It is the responsibility of retailers to ensure that the products they buy come from operations adhering to the conditions described above. Retailers must, until a reliable certification system is in place, communicate to their customersthe sustainability of their products.

In turn, customers must also challenge their retailers to ensure that their supplies stick to all of these conditions. Unless consumers can be assured that products come from sustainable operations, they should not buy them.

The Greenpeace report, Challenging the aquaculture industry on sustainability, offers advice to the industry on becoming sustainable, and provides guidelines to retailers and seafood suppliers on how to ensure they only buy aquaculture products from sustainable operations.

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Greenpeace seeks to ensure clean and healthy oceans for the future, and part of this is working to improve the standards of international seafood trade. As wild stocks decline, the demand for farmed shrimp, salmon, tuna, tilapia and other marine finfish is on the rise.

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Sustainable Development | Fisheries | Natural Resources

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Introduction Spaceship Earth Gaia Ecosystems Evolution Humans Agriculture Industrial Revolution Population Pollution Transport Energy Resources Tragedy of Commons Perspectives Conservation Environmentalism Ecocentrism