Can Agroecological Practices Feed the World?: The Bio- and Ecoeconomic Paradigm in Agri-Food Production

2014 ◽  
pp. 326-341
Keyword(s):  
Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 817
Author(s):  
Giulia Marrone ◽  
Cristina Guerriero ◽  
Daniela Palazzetti ◽  
Paolo Lido ◽  
Alessandro Marolla ◽  
...  

Plant-based diets (PBDs) are increasingly consumed by the Italian population and around the world. In particular, among PBDs, the vegan diet is a food pattern characterized by the exclusion of all animal-origin foods. What drives people to adopt this model are mainly ethical, health and environmental reasons. A vegan diet, if well-balanced and varied, can help in achieving and maintaining an optimal state of health. However, this nutritional approach, if not well-balanced, can cause deficiencies in proteins, ω-3 fatty acids, iron, vitamin D and calcium, zinc, iodine and, above all, vitamin B12. Oral food supplements especially fortified foods are recommended in these cases to restore the nutritional deficiencies. A vegan diet generally reduces the risk of developing chronic non-communicable degenerative diseases, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS) and, in addition, requires fewer natural resources for food production than an omnivorous diet. The aim of this review is to analyze the possible impact of the vegan diet on MetS onset and its treatment.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ghislain de Marsily

In 2000, the World population was 6.2 billion; it reached 7 billion in 2012 and should reach 9.5 billion (±0.4) in 2050 and 11 billion (±1.5) in 2100, according to UN projections. The trend after 2100 is still one of global demographic growth, but after 2060, Africa would be the only continent where the population would still increase. The amount of water consumed annually to produce the food necessary to meet the needs varies greatly between countries, from about 600 to 2,500 m<sup>3</sup>/year per capita, depending on their wealth, their food habits (particularly meat consumption), and the percentage of food waste they generate. In 2000, the total food production was on the order of 3,300 million tons (in cereal equivalents). In 2019, about 0.8 billion inhabitants of the planet still suffer from hunger and do not get the nutrition they need to be in good health or, in the case of children, to grow properly (both physically and intellectually). Assuming a World average water consumption for food of 1,300 m<sup>3</sup>/year per capita in 2000, 1,400 m<sup>3</sup>/year in 2050, and 1,500 m<sup>3</sup>/year in 2100, a volume of water of around 8,200 km<sup>3</sup>/year was needed in 2000, 13,000 km<sup>3</sup>/year will be needed in 2050, and 16,500 km<sup>3</sup>/year in 2100. Will that much water be available on earth? Can there be conflicts related to a food deficit? Some preliminary answers and scenarios for food production will be given from a hydrologist viewpoint.


2015 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe O Boison ◽  
Sherri B Turnipseed

Abstract Aquaculture is currently one of the most rapidly growing food production industries in the world. The increasing global importance for this industry stems primarily from the fact that it is reducing the gap between the supply and demand for fish products. Commercial aquaculture contributes significantly to the economies of many countries since high-value fish species are a major source of foreign exchange. This review looks at the aquaculture industry, the issues raised by the production of fish through aquaculture for food security, the sustainability of the practice to agriculture, what the future holds for the industry in the next 10-20 years, and why there is a need to have available analytical procedures to regulate the safe use of chemicals and veterinary drugs in aquaculture.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 501
Author(s):  
Xuege Wang ◽  
Fengqin Yan ◽  
Yinwei Zeng ◽  
Ming Chen ◽  
Bin He ◽  
...  

Extensive urbanization around the world has caused a great loss of farmland, which significantly impacts the ecosystem services provided by farmland. This study investigated the farmland loss due to urbanization in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China from 1980 to 2018 based on multiperiod datasets from the Land Use and Land Cover of China databases. Then, we calculated ecosystem service values (ESVs) of farmland using valuation methods to estimate the ecosystem service variations caused by urbanization in the study area. The results showed that 3711.3 km2 of farmland disappeared because of urbanization, and paddy fields suffered much higher losses than dry farmland. Most of the farmland was converted to urban residential land from 1980 to 2018. In the past 38 years, the ESV of farmland decreased by 5036.7 million yuan due to urbanization, with the highest loss of 2177.5 million yuan from 2000–2010. The hydrological regulation, food production and gas regulation of farmland decreased the most due to urbanization. The top five cities that had the largest total ESV loss of farmland caused by urbanization were Guangzhou, Dongguan, Foshan, Shenzhen and Huizhou. This study revealed that urbanization has increasingly become the dominant reason for farmland loss in the GBA. Our study suggests that governments should increase the construction of ecological cities and attractive countryside to protect farmland and improve the regional ESV.


foresight ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Pinstrup‐Andersen ◽  
Marc J. Cohen

Although global food production has consistently kept pace with population growth, the gap between food production and demand in certain parts of the world is likely to remain. More than 800 million people in developing countries lack access to a minimally adequate diet. Continued productivity gains are essential on the supply side, because global population will increase by 73 million people a year over the next two decades. In this article we assess the current global food situation, look at the prospects through to the year 2020, and outline the policies needed to achieve food security for all. Emphasis is on the role that agricultural biotechnology might play in reaching this goal.


2018 ◽  
pp. 178-209
Author(s):  
Shane Hamilton

This chapter discusses how U.S. transnational agribusiness corporations demonstrated U.S. farm and food power to the world from the 1960s into the 1980s. In earlier decades of the Farms Race, U.S. farmers were called upon to feed the hungry world as a counter-revolutionary project with a humanitarian veneer. By the late 1970s, politicians and businessmen were increasingly declaring their intent to rewrite the rules of global food production and trade on entirely profit-driven terms. Building on Cold War-inspired modernization and development projects initiated in the 1940s–1960s, U.S.-based transnational agribusinesses in the 1970s–1990s—including the International Basic Economy Corporation (IBEC), the former linseed-oil manufacturer turned global commodities giant Archer Daniels Midland, and the Ozarks-based retail chain Walmart—constructed a world in which private corporations, including supermarkets, emerged as the primary institutional mechanisms for regulating and coordinating global food chains.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 120-130
Author(s):  
Nurul Suhada Ismail

The explosion of technology allows more manufacture food and variety in the market. However, the massive quantity of food is not essential measure of economic progress because the quality of food is more important when producing food. In realizing food quality along with food quantities, various legal issues related to food security have been arisen. Thus, this paper will be examine the legal issues related to food security from the Islamic perspective worldview. Using a study of documents released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and content analysis, there are several legislative issues that have been found regarding food security. Such issues include aspects of food production, exploitation of natural resources, trade, and rights to the food. The apparent impact of these issues has undermined food security and food access, thus prompting food security in various parts of the world. Through an analysis of Islamic worldview, this paper presents the preservation of habluminallah and habluminannas relationships as a basis for addressing the issues discussed. Ledakan teknologi membolehkan bahan makanan dihasilkan dengan lebih banyak dan pelbagai di pasaran. Namun demikian, kuantiti makanan yang banyak bukan ukuran kemajuan ekonomi yang hakiki kerana kualiti makanan lebih utama untuk diambil kira dalam menghasilkan makanan. Dalam merealisasikan kualiti seiring dengan kuantiti makanan, pelbagai isu perundangan berkaitan sekuriti makanan telah timbul. Menyedari perkara berkenaan, makalah ini akan meneliti isu perundangan yang berkaitan sekuriti makanan daripada perspektif tasawur Islam. Dengan menggunakan kajian ke atas dokumen yang dikeluarkan oleh Organisasi Makanan dan Pertanian (Food and Agriculture Organization) (FAO) dan analisis kandungan, terdapat beberapa isu perundangan berkaitan sekuriti makanan yang ditemui. Isu tersebut merangkumi aspek pengeluaran makanan, eksploitasi sumber alam, perdagangan, serta hak terhadap makanan. Kesan ketara isu-isu tersebut telah menjejaskan jaminan keselamatan makanan dan akses makanan sekali gus menggugah sekuriti makanan di pelbagai bahagian dunia. Melalui analisis daripada tasawur Islam, makalah ini mengemukakan pemeliharaan hubungan habluminallah dan habluminannas sebagai asas mengatasi isu-isu yang dibincangkan.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Gandarilla ◽  
Giovanni A Carosso ◽  
Mohammed A Mostajo-Radji

Sustainable food production in developing countries is challenging, as it requires balancing scalability with respect for local culture and traditions. Bolivia represents a particularly interesting example; with over 36 recognized indigenous groups encompassing over 70% of the country’s population in a relatively small territory, Bolivia is considered one of the most diverse countries in the world (Ferreira et al., 2019). Agriculture in Bolivia employs over 5% of the country’s population and represents over 14% of its GDP. Yet, the introduction of new agribusiness approaches has often been met with resistance by the local communities. For example, the use of transgenic seeds in Bolivia is forbidden by law, with a single exception in soybean production (Avila and Izquierdo, 2006). As result, Bolivia is at a disadvantage in relation to its neighbors in agricultural production. In addition, high costs of transport and export of produce due to the landlocked nature of the country, compounded by logistic difficulties of exporting through a third country, highlight the need of policies that facilitate a larger and more efficient food production.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-134
Author(s):  
Simon Kofi Appiah

As has been the case in other parts of the world, recent attempts to pass a bill on the use of genetic technology for food production in Ghana have naturally led to intense debates between those who favour the technology and sceptics. This concept paper points out that both sides of the divide rely on arguments that have been used in other places without sufficiently considering how such arguments relate to the overall political aspirations of Ghana. Using a basic Aristotelian principle of the importance of applying appropriate means for the attainment of an end (phronesis), the paper attempts to contextualize the debate and concludes that gene technology can be used in Ghana, if it is purged of the “genomythology” on which it rests and, if the nation will engage in the search for alternatives.Keywords: phronesis, Ghana, GM Foods, biotechnology, ethics


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