food production report
Food production
A growing population brings with it a necessity to produce more food. However, the potential impact on the local and global environment must be considered. Part of the solution lies in careful management to reduce energy losses in food chains, as well as looking to new food sources. It is necessary to find a compromise between the priority of obtaining food and the priority of protecting ecosystems.
The efficiency of food production can be improved by reducing the number of levels in the food chain. This is because fewer energy losses occur along a shorter food chain, meaning a greater proportion of the energy that entered the food chain is available to humans and more people can be fed.
The efficiency of food production from animals can also be improved by reducing the amount of energy lost to the surroundings. This can be done by preventing animals moving around too much or by keeping their surroundings warm, as this conserves energy which can be used to increase biomass. Such practices are known as factory farming.
The main advantages for keeping animals in warm sheds with little space to move are that it results in more efficient food production - and therefore cheaper food. However, there are disadvantages in terms of reduced animal welfare, increased risk of injury, and increased risk of diseases (eg salmonella amongst chickens). A balance must be reached between the needs of farmers and consumers and the welfare of the animals.
The increasing demand for food, especially protein-based food, to feed the growing world population has also led scientists to investigate alternative ways of obtaining food from microorganisms. Mycoprotein is a high-protein food produced from the fungal biomass of a soil fungus called Fusarium grown in a fermenter. It also has high fibre content, and is low in fat with no cholesterol. This makes it a healthy, vegetarian alternative to meat! It would be ideal to maximise
A growing population brings with it a necessity to produce more food. However, the potential impact on the local and global environment must be considered. Part of the solution lies in careful management to reduce energy losses in food chains, as well as looking to new food sources. It is necessary to find a compromise between the priority of obtaining food and the priority of protecting ecosystems.
The efficiency of food production can be improved by reducing the number of levels in the food chain. This is because fewer energy losses occur along a shorter food chain, meaning a greater proportion of the energy that entered the food chain is available to humans and more people can be fed.
The efficiency of food production from animals can also be improved by reducing the amount of energy lost to the surroundings. This can be done by preventing animals moving around too much or by keeping their surroundings warm, as this conserves energy which can be used to increase biomass. Such practices are known as factory farming.
The main advantages for keeping animals in warm sheds with little space to move are that it results in more efficient food production - and therefore cheaper food. However, there are disadvantages in terms of reduced animal welfare, increased risk of injury, and increased risk of diseases (eg salmonella amongst chickens). A balance must be reached between the needs of farmers and consumers and the welfare of the animals.
The increasing demand for food, especially protein-based food, to feed the growing world population has also led scientists to investigate alternative ways of obtaining food from microorganisms. Mycoprotein is a high-protein food produced from the fungal biomass of a soil fungus called Fusarium grown in a fermenter. It also has high fibre content, and is low in fat with no cholesterol. This makes it a healthy, vegetarian alternative to meat! It would be ideal to maximise
References: http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/what-works-improving-food-production-from-livestock/ http://www.scidev.net/global/food-security/feature/sustainable-food-production-facts-and-figures.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculture OCR Heinemann Biology AS Text Book ISBN 978-0-435691-80-6