Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
developed country agriculture, where food production is energy intensive. For exam-
ple, it takes the fossil fuel equivalent of 160 L of oil to produce a ton of maize in the
United States, versus 4.8 L in Mexico (using traditional methods). In 2005, energy
costs were estimated to account for about 16% of agricultural production costs in the
United States (World Bank 2007).
Developing country agriculture is not immune from these effects. Food security
in China and India depends on maintaining high crop yields in favored food-produc-
ing regions like the Punjab. Fertilizer is important in maintaining these yield levels.
In sub-Saharan Africa, increased fertilizer use is seen as key to improving farm sys-
tem productivity. Many developing country farmers have been able to escape from
poverty by producing high-value crops and exporting them, often via air cargo, to
developed countries. Higher energy prices will have an impact on all of these.
The key role of energy in producing food and in other ways driving development
is receiving increased recognition. The government of India, for example, considers
energy security second only to food security in national priorities. Reliable access
to gas and oil resources is considered a vital national interest, one so important that
it has a major influence on foreign policy stances such as relationships with Iran and
Russia (Blank 2005).
Among the most controversial topics regarding energy in food production is that
of biofuels. These include wood, charcoal, ethanol, biodiesel, and biogas. Proponents
see them as environmentally friendly sources of energy that will help address prob-
lems of climate change as well as being a boon to farmers. Skeptics argue that biofuel
production will threaten food supplies for the poor while producing few environmen-
tal benefits.
The balance of costs and benefits of using bioenergy very much depends on the
source of the biofuel and how it is processed. Here are a few of many factors that
affect the cost/benefit equation:
•
A biofuel industry could provide developing country farmers a use for crop
residues (von Braun and Pachauri 2005). This, however, may hinder efforts
to introduce resource-conserving practices such as conservation agriculture
that require the use of residues for soil cover and are needed to feed soil
microbes, an important component of biological soil health.
Raw material for biofuel such as the oil-bearing plant
•
Jatropha curcus
can
be grown on marginal areas unsuitable for crop production (von Braun and
Pachauri 2005). This strategy, however, may have unknown consequences
for dryland ecosystems. Yields of oil-bearing biofuel crops are also low,
and their production may not be profitable on marginal lands with poor soil
moisture.
The use of maize and other cereals to produce ethanol increases their
•
price—good for farmers, but less good for food consumers. Biofuels are
most likely to impinge on food security (by raising food prices) when they
are processed from cereals. However, if growing crops for biofuel produc-
tion generates employment and raises incomes for poor farmers, food secu-
rity might still be increased.
