Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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The spatial distribution of species on Earth is becoming more
homogeneous.
Some 10 to 30% of mammal, bird, and amphibian species are threatened
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with extinction.
Genetic diversity has declined globally, particularly among cultivated
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species.
A basic conclusion of the MEA is that:
The changes that have been made to ecosystems have contributed to substantial net
gains in human well-being and economic development, but these gains have been
achieved at growing costs in the form of the degradation of many ecosystem services,
increased risks of nonlinear changes, and the exacerbation of poverty for some groups
of people. These problems, unless addressed, will substantially diminish the benefits
that future generations obtain from ecosystems. (p. 5)
This lesson, when applied to sustainable food production, means that past suc-
cesses in producing food may be part of a larger process that threatens future food
production. One purpose of this topic is to present information that may be helpful in
amending the negative impacts of increased food production on ecosystem services.
InteRRelAtIonshIPs
In the sections presented, several challenges or threats to sustainable food produc-
tion were introduced. These include demographic change, water scarcity, land deg-
radation, climate change, energy insecurity, and loss of ecosystem services. There
are many interrelationships among these challenges. A surprisingly large number of
interrelationships feature coevolution and trade-offs.
Clearly, a major driver is demographic change. Along with changes in incomes,
this determines the magnitude and structure of food needs, with some shaping and
filtering by cultural norms and religious beliefs. But, success in meeting food needs
as well as other development needs is part of the process by which population growth
itself slows and eventually peaks. There is coevolution among demographic change,
food production, and development.
Farming practices, including land and water management, influence resource
quality. Water scarcity and land quality in turn influence the productivity of agri-
culture. Coevolution exists between resource management, farming practices, and
resource quantity and quality.
There is adequate evidence that demographic change, combined with urban-
ization, modern transport, and other forms of technical change, is driving climate
change. Climate change in turn is having a large effect on water availability, crop
yields, farm system productivity, and the production of other ecosystem services.
People seek to mitigate climate change while maintaining increasing food produc-
tion and maintaining energy security, critically important for modern lifestyles.
An important element in achieving this may be an increased reliance on biofuels,
which, however, may exacerbate water shortages, accelerate land degradation, and
