Feeding the World and Addressing Poverty

Society comprises two classes:  those who have more food than appetite, and those who have more appetite

than food. 

~Sébastien-Roch Nicholas de Chamfort, Maximes

It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you

may live as you wish

Mother Teresa

Remember the poor – it costs nothing

Mark Twain

It is a tragic mix-up when the United States spends $500,000 for

every enemy soldier killed, and only $53 annually on the victims of

poverty

Martin Luther King Jr.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/passers_by_let_good_sam_die_5SGkf5XDP5ooudVuEd8fbI

Real poverty is lack of books

Sinonie Gabrielle

Women do two thirds of the world's work. Yet they earn

only one tenth of the world's income and own less than one percent of the world's

property. They are among the poorest of the world's poor

Barber B. Conable

http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Image:India.Mumbai.01.jpg

Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit.  ~Eli Khamarov, Lives of the

Cognoscenti

The prevalent fear of poverty among the educated classes is the worst moral disease

from which our civilization suffers.  ~William James

Poverty is the worst form of violence.

Mahatma Gandhi

The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of

being unloved

Mother Teresa

The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other.  It is not, as poverty was

before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the

rest of the world by the rich.  Consequently, the modern poor are not

pitied...but written off as trash.  The twentieth-century consumer economy

has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing. 

~John Berger

Isle of Flowers ??? *English Dub* Directed by Jorge

Furtado - YouTube

What is Poverty?Poverty is deprivation of those things that determine the quality of life, including food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, but also such "intangibles" as the opportunity to learn and to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Basic needs

PovertyPoverty may affect individuals or groups, and is not confined to the developing nations. The 2011 Occupy Wall Street/Halifax/etc. showed the growing gap between the rich and the poor. The 2008 Recession has hurt the Western world. Greece and others have become much poorer and had to cut back government programs. Who is affected the most? THE POOR.

Poverty in developed countries is manifest in a set of social problems including homelessness and the persistence of "ghetto" housing clusters. Elvis Presley - In the Ghetto Lyrics - YouTubeGrandmaster Flash The Message HQ – YouTubeRocinha - the biggest favela in Brazil – YouTubePolice attempt to fight fear in Rio Favelas - YouTubeTrenchtown – YouTubeMARLEY - Trenchtown Rock (live) – YouTubebob marley no woman no cry with lyrics - YouTube

THE POVERTY CYCLE AND INADEQUATE FOODTHE POVERTY CYCLE AND INADEQUATE FOOD

Causes of poverty 1. Overpopulation/lack of access to birth control

methods (India, Haiti)2. Crime (a cause and an effect)3. War (a cause and effect)4. Discrimination/Racism5. European Colonialism era treated people like

servants in their own land (First Nations, Africa, Asia)

6. Poor, corrupt government in the post-Colonialism era keeping poor people down or civil wars that resulted (Rwanda)

7. Lack of natural resources and proper nutrition8. Chaotic Climate9. Natural Disasters10. Landlocked (no trade-Congo)http://

www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/developing_countries.htm

11. Isolated geography (Nepal, Mongolia)

RESULTS?FAMINES IN ETHIOPIA, SOMALIA, IRELAND, CHINA, BANGLADESH. ETC.Inability to bounce back from Natural Disasters (such as Haiti and earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, deforestation and soil degradation)Increased debt to rich countriesCivil wars caused by povertyPoor healthPOVERTY CYCLE DEEPENS OVER MANY GENERATIONS

Desertification….What is It?

Land degradation in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas due to:

Over cultivationOvergrazingDeforestation Poor irrigation practices

Drought - Irregular precipitation Populations in these areas used the methods of shifting agriculture and nomadic herding to respond to these challenges but…changing economic and political circumstances, population growth, and a trend towards more settled communities has increased desertification

Problems with Desertification

Scrub becoming desert

The Earth's drylands are found in more than 110 nations, and moderate to severe land degradation has reduced the productivity of more than 70% of these areas..

Levels of degradation in the world

Consequences…reduces the land’s resilience to natural climate variability.Soil becomes less productiveVegetation becomes damaged or lostSome of the consequences are borne by people living outside the immediately affected areaFood production is underminedDesertification contributes to famineDesertification is a huge drain on economic resources

Africa and Desertification2/3 of the continent is desert or drylands.

affected by frequent and severe droughts.Many African nations are landlocked, have widespread poverty, need external assistance and depend heavily on natural resources for subsistence

few institutional, legal, scientific, technical and educational resources

linked to migration and food security-Sahel zone (southern border of the Sahara Desert )

What about North America?

90% of arid land impacted

overstocking (livestock)- contributes to erosion and desertification. excessive withdrawals of groundwater - resulting in a rapid decline in height of the water table. salinization – from salts left behind on the soil surface after the irrigation water has evaporated.

How can all of the people in the world

be fed?

Food Distribution Problems

Thanks to the Green and Blue Revolutions, we now have proven Malthus wrong. We have enough food for the

population. But, we still have hunger.

Why?

WarFamine often accompanies war Not able to plant crops – too dangerousForeign Aid Food Relief resources only available during ceasefiresSometimes the resources are taken by the government or military powers to feed the soldiers rather than the civilians (like Somalia in the early 1990s)

DebtMany countries owe the IMF or World Bank for development loans that they received and therefore sanctions are imposed on their countries-no importsForced to grow “cash crops” for profit – coffee, cotton, tea, sugar cane, peanuts. This leaves less land for subsistence food crops This all leads means cutting spending on health, education, and housing leading to greater poverty and the cycle continues.

Technology

Green Revolution increased food supply in poorer nationsSuper seeds require more water, fertilizer and pesticides. $$$Poor countries can’t afford to grow food in this kind of system.Contaminates water

Natural Causes

Drought makes farming impossiblePoor soil quality due to overuse/degradation/desertificationFlooding ruins land

The Green RevolutionThe introduction and rapid spread of high yield wheat and rice. First large use of chemical pesticides (some of which are now banned due to being cancer causing like DDT) and high yield varieties of crops

Achieved by crossing of the different strains of major food crops to greater and larger yields that were more resistance to drought and disease. mid 1960’s Rockefellar Foundation work in MexicoPurpose: To meet the food needs of the developing world.PBS NewsHour | PBS

The Results….led to greater grain and rice productionhigher food outputs for LDC’sHelped stave off catastrophic famines! Malthus thought food supply could not keep up with population boom. This has lessened the impact.Economic and food self-sufficiency resulted for some countries (Pakistan-wheat exporter, India-from 11 m tonnes to 27 m tons from 1965 to 1972, Mexico- double wheat yields, Philippines and Indonesia-rice previously imported)Planting dates become more flexible and agriculture easier to manage.

Rich farmers have the resources for fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation water, machinery, storage and transportation (gap between rich and poor farmers widen)Colour, texture and tastes of new rice not well received.More difficult to raise output of rice with biotechnology due to precise water control. high yield varieties more costly to produce Many HYVs require more labour than the traditional counterparts (irrigation and fertilization)Contamination of watersheds by nitrates and phosphates, long term destroyed soilLoss of biodiversity-4 strains of wheat produce 3/4 of Canada’s crop.If farmers only rely on a few strains of a plant, a new disease can wipe out a large portion of the harvest

Criticisms of the Green Revolution

Solutions to food supply…Maintain genetic banks where seeds from a great diversity of plants can be frozen and stored to be used later.Control population as China has with restrictive one child policy (Ted Turner of CNN has called for a Global One Child Policy)Genetically modified foods (GM) that won’t rot. Not popularGet more protein from the sea BUT AVOID OVERFISHING…

The Blue Revolution/AQUACULTURE

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXTxALpgMBA/TaUnnzf-74I/AAAAAAAABKY/gKczgj1dG7w/s1600/wwf-tunapanda.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGbNqvb-VWI/TaUnovyhKgI/AAAAAAAABKc/t2IF1oiBwoA/s1600/wwf-tunarhino.jpg

The Blue RevolutionModern technology has allowed us to obtain food from the sea in many fish varietiesincreased seventeen fold in the last fifty yearsAquaculture, or the growing or harvesting of marine plants and animals for human consumption, is predicted to overtake the traditional wild fishery

What it can do…

Protein source for the one billion chronically malnourished people worldwide.Relieve pressure on land so that soil degradation does not occur.

ConcernsExploitation of the traditional wild fishery (ATLANTIC COD)Aquaculture destroys land along coastsWater pollutionWetland lossSpread of diseaseIn Nova Scotia, the government is allowing more aquaculture. Environmentalists, tourism operators and fisheries people seem to be ok with when they are kept in tanks located on land but oppose the use of pens in coastal areas. Why? This is because:Natural fisheries could be negatively impacted by any diseases or pollution that might come from the “raised” species. Already there have been outbreaks of sea lice and sea anemia disease in some caged salmon. Toxic waste from salmon feedlots can pollute formerly pristine bays. Lobster and lobster larvae have been harmed and displaced. Escaped salmon from feedlots weaken the strain of wild salmon when they breed with themCooke Aquaculture Videos Voices for our Coast: Aquaculture Rally - YouTube

A Popular Term We Need To Know

GMOs - Genetically modified organisms

• GMO - an organism that expresses traits that result from the introduction of foreign DNA

• Originally a term equivalent to transgenic organism•Also called GMFs or “Frankenfoods”

What About the TermsGenetic Engineering/Genetically Modified?

Genetic engineering involves:

Isolating genes Modifying genes so they function better Preparing genes to be inserted into a new species Developing transgenes

Genetic engineering is the basic tool set of biotechnology

What is a transgenic?

Transgene – the genetically engineered gene added to a species

Ex. – modified EPSP synthase gene (encodes a protein that functions even when plant is treated with Roundup)

Transgenic – an organism containing a transgene introduced by technological (not breeding) methods

Ex. – Roundup Ready Crops (owned by Monsanto, as seen in “Food Inc”)

Concept Based on the Term Transgene

We can develop organisms that express a “novel” trait not normally found in the species

Why are transgenics important?

Extended shelf-life tomato (Flavr-Savr)

Herbicide resistant soybean (Roundup Ready)

Agriculture Transgenics On the Market

Source: USDA

Insect resistant cotton – Bt toxin kills the cotton boll worm• transgene = Bt protein

Insect resistant corn – Bt toxin kills the European corn borer• transgene = Bt protein

Normal Transgenic

Virus resistance - papya resistant to papaya ringspot virus

Source: Monsanto

Herbicide resistant crops Now: soybean, corn, canola Coming: sugarbeet, lettuce, strawberry alfalfa, potato, wheat

Biotech chymosin; the enzyme used to curdle milk products

bST; bovin somatotropin; used to increasemilk production (remember “Food Inc”WAl-MART STOPPED Bst Milk)

Source: Rent Mother Nature

Source: Chr. Hansen

Edible VaccinesTransgenic Plants Serving Human Health Needs

• Works like any vaccine • A transgenic plant with a pathogen protein gene is developed• Potato, banana, and tomato are targets• Humans eat the plant • The body produces antibodies against pathogen protein• Humans are “immunized” against the pathogen• Examples:

DiarrheaHepatitis BMeasles

Next Generation of Ag Biotech Products

Golden Rice – increased Vitamin A content by adding carotene (effort to fight childhood blindnessbut not without controversy)

The Golden Rice Story

• Vitamin A deficiency is a major health problem

• Causes blindness• Influences severity of diarrhea, measles

• >100 million children suffer from the problem

• For many countries, the infrastructure doesn’t existto deliver vitamin pills

• Improved vitamin A content in widely consumed cropsan attractive alternative

-Carotene Pathway Problem in Plants

IPP

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate

Phytoene

Lycopene

-carotene(vitamin A precursor)

Phytoene synthase

Phytoene desaturase

Lycopene-beta-cyclase

ξ-carotene desaturase

Problem:Rice lacks

these enzymes

NormalVitamin A

“Deficient”Rice

The Golden Rice Solution

IPP

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate

Phytoene

Lycopene

-carotene(vitamin A precursor)

Phytoene synthase

Phytoene desaturase

Lycopene-beta-cyclase

ξ-carotene desaturase

Daffodil gene

Single bacterial gene;performs both functions

Daffodil gene

-Carotene Pathway Genes Added

Vitamin APathway

is completeand functional

GoldenRice

Final Test of the TransgenicConsumer Acceptance

RoundUp Ready Corn made by Monsanto: genetically modified to survive weed herbicide

Before After

Say no to GMO: Halifax protesters | The Chronicle Heraldhalifax n.s against monsanto and g.m.o in our food !!! - YouTube

At over 800 acres (320 ha) and with a population of over 100,000 cattle, and hundreds harvested daily, the Harris Ranch is the largest on the West Coast. It is also among the largest (when including density) in the United States. A "vertically integrated" operation, it owns a fleet of trucks that take cattle from several ranches with which it deals, and does its own finishing, slaughtering, and packaging.

The ranch supplies the hamburger meat for the In-N-Out Burger chain, and also distributes beef and prepared meals through grocery stores and restaurants nationwide.

Directions - Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant - Coalinga, CA

FARMAGEDDON - CALIFORNIA – YouTubeFactory Farm Nation: Map Charts Unprecedented Growth in Factory Farming in California | Food & Water Watch

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=8ccEhJKlKUhPrM&tbnid=NVMNkM2yIGnUGM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpro-fitpersonaltraining.co.uk%2Fblog%2FOrganic-Food-doesn%25E2%2580%2599t-have-to-cost-the-Earth-293&ei=yWGYU6raFsilyATikoCIBA&bvm=bv.68693194,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNFKFhHShuWzU5c5TpD8y3wgTIOhAw&ust=1402581820245571

Food Dumping Issue:Food DumpingFood Dumping results in LDCs because of cheaper government subsidized food like grain, rice and corn being imported from MDCs like Canada driving locals out of business. Poor nations worldwide dependence on Cash Crops to be exported for economic survival instead of growing to feed the hungry in their own nation.

Food is a commodity with a value that earns profits. It should be a human right. IT ISN’T…IT’S PROPERTY.

Ironically, we have starvation in a world where wheat rots in Canadian grain elevators because farmers can’t sell it for the price they desire.

We have starvation in our world of plenty.YouTube - Band Aid - Do They Know its Christmas 1984YouTube - Tears Are Not Enough - Northern LightsYouTube - USA for Africa - We are the World

CHAPTER 10

..\..\ggs Chapter 10 and foodclips.doc

Food Inc - YouTube