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Feeding the World: Ecosystem Services, Food Production and Sustainability

Feeding the World: Ecosystem Services, Food Production and Sustainability . Elena M. Bennett Associate Professor, McGill University. The Triple Threat. 1 billion hungry (1 in 7) Agriculture a the single biggest cause of environmental degradation

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Feeding the World: Ecosystem Services, Food Production and Sustainability

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  1. Feeding the World: Ecosystem Services, Food Production and Sustainability Elena M. Bennett Associate Professor, McGill University

  2. The Triple Threat • 1 billion hungry (1 in 7) • Agriculture a the single biggest cause of environmental degradation • Anticipated doubling of food production needed by 2050

  3. Dual Challenge The dual challenge of feeding 10 billion people while maintaining a healthy environment will be one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.

  4. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history… These changes have brought gains in human well-being, but at growing costs to both people and nature to meet growing demands for food, fresh water, fiber, and energy.

  5. Habitat Loss to 1990 Mediterranean Forests Temperate Grasslands & Woodlands Temperate Broadleaf Forest Tropical Dry Forest Tropical Grasslands Tropical Coniferous Forest Tropical Moist Forest 0 50 100 Percent of habitat (biome) remaining Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

  6. Percent Increase in Nitrogen Flows in Rivers Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

  7. 85% of consumptive use of water is for agriculture

  8. Agriculture: the source of 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions

  9. The Balance Sheet Enhanced Degraded Mixed Crops Livestock Aquaculture Carbon sequestration Capture fisheries Wild foods Wood fuel Genetic resources Biochemicals Fresh Water Air quality regulation Regional & local climate regulation Erosion regulation Water purification Pest regulation Pollination Natural Hazard regulation Spiritual & religious Aesthetic values Timber Fiber Water regulation Disease regulation Recreation & ecotourism Bottom Line: 60% of Ecosystem Services are Degraded Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005

  10. Commonly proposed solutions … 1. Increase area 1. Increase area 2. Increase yields 2. Increase yields 1.3 – 2.6 billion additional hectares needed … and why they wont work

  11. What can we do about it? • Acknowledge the problem. • Invest in revolutionary agricultural solutions. • Bridge the artificial divide between production agriculture and environmental conservation. JA Foley. 2009. Yale Environment 360.

  12. Revolutionary Solutions Reduce the amount of new area or increased yields required by reducing meat consumption. In the US, 67% of calories produced are fed to animals! Cassidy et al. 2013

  13. Revolutionary solutions:Increase crop yields strategically Invest in getting better crop yields in Africa where yields are 1/6 of what they are in climatically similar areas of the world. West et al. PNAS 2010

  14. Bridge the Divide: Think in terms of all the ecosystem services provided by agricultural systems Pay farmers for the value of all of the services they provide: biodiversity, places to recreate, a landscape we enjoy, clean water, etc.

  15. ` Aesthetic Beauty Climate Regulation Maple Syrup Nature Appreciation Carbon Storage Wood Deer Hunting Pest Regulation Food Water Quality Regulation

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