Geography 252:

Human Environmental Problems

Lecture 6
Feeding the
World

Feeding 7 Billion People:

The Global Food Crisis,
2007-present

Key Question: Whats

causing the global food
crisis?
The

global food
crisis is a crisis of
food accessibility,
especially for the
poor, resulting from
high prices for basic
commodities

What

do you think is
causing the spikes in

Is it Global Population
Growth?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJT9aXFN5vE

Is it Global
Population Growth?
Thomas

Malthus (1766-1834)
argued that the Earths population
was constrained by available food
Population

grows exponentially
Food production shows linear growth
Human

pop. constrained by:

Preventative

checks: as food becomes

more scarce and expensive, people
have less kids
Positive checks: population reduced
through famine, war, and disease
Solutions:
Sexual

restraint and delayed marriage

Aid to the poor should be diminished

But our population isnt

growing exponentially

And, food production

has outpaced
population growth

Yet, Hunger Around the World

Has
Not Been Eliminated

An estimated 854 million peoplealmost

one in every eight people on earth
suffer chronic hunger.

7-9

Videos and Discussion:

What factors are causing
the global food crisis?
http://video.na

tionalgeographi
c.com/video/new
s/culture-place
s-news/food-cri
sis-vin/
http://www.you

tube.com/watch
?v=b0XP1i1oP_IA July 2010 report by the World Bank found

that high commodity prices are largely due to

financial speculation not increasing demand.

How has food production

kept pace with population
growth?
In developed
countries, 95
percent of
agricultural
growth in the
twentieth century
came from
improved crop
varieties or
increased
fertilization,
irrigation, and
pesticide use,

7-11

Exporting the Green

Revolution
Starting about 50
years ago,
agricultural
research stations
began to breed
tropical wheat and
rice varieties that
would provide food
for growing
populations in
developing

7-12

Consequences of the
Green Revolution
Social
Land consolidation
has led to food
insecurity for many
Health effects of
synthetic pesticides
and fertilizers
Dependent on fossil
fuels

Environmental
Topsoil loss from overtilling
Depletion of organic

7-13

The next Green

Revolution?
Genetic Engineering
Genetic

engineering:
splicing a gene
from one organism
into the
chromosome of
another.
Genetically
modified
organisms
(GMOs):
organisms with

Most GMOs are Engineered for Pesticide

Production or Pesticide Tolerance

golden rice has been engineered to

contain vitamin A a deficient nutrient in
many developing countries

7-14

American Farmers Say They

Feed The World, But Do
They?
http://
www.npr.org/player
/v2/mediaPlayer.ht
ml?action=1&t=1&is
list=false&id=2213
76803&m=223309072
What are some
arguments for and
against industrial
farming to feed the
world?

7-15

An alternative
approach to
food
Some

have rejected the global food system in

favor of one which focuses on food security:

Food security is a measure of ensured access to

essential nutrition
It refers to a household's or country's ability to
provide access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food
that fulfills the dietary needs and food preferences
of its people

Potential

policies

Limiting exports
Incentives for sustainable food production systems
Subsidizing the production of healthier food
products

17

1/28/15