ENV222H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Working Animal, Food Security, Anthropocene

• School: UTSG
• Department: School of Environment
• Course: ENV222H1
• Professor: Mark Hathaway

Document Summary

Env222 - lecture 5 - historical perspectives: agriculture, food production, land use. Consider the role of food in life (vs. air/water), always need labour/money to acquire food. 50% of human population are farmers; 50% are women. 95% of farmers live in the global south; often impoverished. Also consider the economic transactions that surround farming (production, preparation etc), these employ more people than any other industry. Agriculture lands occupy almost half of earth"s land area = large ecological impact. Moran: great variety of adaptive strategies, which often lead to food security. Living in small bands/groups, gathering and hunting, work around 40hrs/week (food, tools, housework) Usually little ecological impact (small group, large territory), more sustainable. Cooperation and food sharing (even with other groups), relatively little hierarchy, accumulation of wealth is displayed as sharing. Subsistence is not the same as poverty. Less freedom, more routine life, hard work.