11:375:101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Biological Pest Control, Herbivore, Fish Meal
5 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Three systems produce most of our food. Croplands: 77% on 11% world"s land area. Rangelands, pastures, and feedlots: 16% on 29% of world"s land area. Three main grain crops: wheat, rice, and corn. 80% of our food produced on 25% of total cropland. 20% of our food produced on 75% of total cropland. Case study: industrialized food production in the united states. Annual sales greater than auto, steel, and housing combined. Americans spend 10% of income on food. Hidden costs of subsidies and costs of pollution and environmental degradation. Too little rain or too much rain. Subsidies are designed to offset this and guarantee income no matter the weather. There has been an increase in soybean yield per acre. Now, more soybeans can be yielded from the same amount of acreage. Ways that we churn up and mix the soil is better for farming. Gets rid of weeds without destroying the crops.
