Managing resources

CHAPTER 05
Food security

 when all people, at all times, have physical, social and

economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food
that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an
active and healthy life
Causes of food insecurity & threats to food
security

 population growth
 unsustainable production, increase in homogeneity in global food supply
 price setting
 land degradation
 agricultural disease
 diverting crops for biofuels
 climate change
 water shortages
 poverty , unemployment, low income
 What are the effects of population growth on food supply?
 As population rises, demand for food, energy and income increases. Increasing
population coupled with land degradation aggravates challenges of crop production.
 What are two causes of food insecurity?
 Deforestation , overgrazing and over-cultivation expose the soil and make it vulnerable
to wind and water erosion. Rising prices - when there is less food available, the prices of
food increase - since the year 2000 prices have risen. Poorer countries are more
vulnerable to increasing food prices.
 How does global warming affect global food security?
 Changes in climate and increases in some extreme weather events, such as floods and
droughts, could disrupt stability in the supply of food and people's livelihoods making it
more difficult for them to earn a stable income to purchase food.
 How does water affect the global food security?
 Water scarcity has a huge impact on food production. Without water people do not have
a means of watering their crops and, therefore, to provide food for the fast growing
population. ... This causes more water then necessary to be used or for there not to be
enough water to ensure healthy crops.
Impacts of food insecurity

 regional food scarcity

 nutritional deficiency and malnutrition
 poverty
 forced migration
 conflict
 famine
 death
 What are the effects of food insecurity on the economy?
 In terms of economic consequences, food insecurity debilitates society by increasing
mortality, disease and disability. It inflates the direct economic costs of coping with the
health impacts and enormous reduction in human potential and economic productivity,
brought about by hunger and malnutrition
 How does migration affect food security?
 Voluntary migration can also improve food security both for migrants and the families left
behind, particularly in rural areas. ... Pressure on finite resources declines, increasing the
availability of food for remaining household members; but at the same time, an important
laborer also leaves the household
 How does food insecurity affect society?
 People who are food insecure are disproportionally affected by diet-sensitive chronic
diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and according to research, food
insecurity is also linked to many adverse effects to overall health.
 What were the effects of the Famine?
 What were the effects of the Great Famine? As a direct consequence of the famine,
Ireland's population fell from almost 8.4 million in 1844 to 6.6 million by 1851. About 1
million people died and perhaps 2 million more eventually emigrated from the
country. Many who survived suffered from malnutrition.
 How does food insecurity cause conflict?
 Food can be used as a weapon, with enemies cutting off food supplies in order to gain
ground. Crops can also be destroyed during fighting. Food shortages have caused riots
and conflict, eg the Darfur region has faced conflict for many years because
of disagreements over land and grazing rights.
 How does food insecurity lead to famine?
 People affected by famine do not have enough food to survive. Famine is a widespread,
serious, shortage of food. In the worst cases it can lead to starvation and even death. ...
During times of food insecurity farmers can cause soil erosion by breeding and rearing
too many cattle or by trying to grow too many crops.
 Strategies for managing food security

 subsistence agriculture
 increase food production by intensification and extensification
 improved agricultural techniques and efficiency
 –  aquaculture and hydroponics
 –  use of selective breeding and genetically modified (GM) crops to developing pest- resistant crops and crops with a higher yield
 –  controlling limiting factors, e.g. use of fertilisers in areas short of nutrients
 –  increasing productivity by removing competition from weeds by the use of herbicides, reducing fungal disease by use of fungicides,
reducing pest species by use of biological control
 reduction in livestock and increase in growing crops
 reduce food waste
 large-scale food stockpiling
 improve transportation of food
 protecting pollinating insects
 the World Food Programme and food aid
 rationing
Subsistence agriculture

 What do u mean by subsistence farming?

 subsistence farming, form of farming in which nearly all of the crops or livestock
raised are used to maintain the farmer and the farmer's family, leaving little, if any,
surplus for sale or trade.
 Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of
themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm
output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no surplus
 Types of subsistence agriculture :
 Shifting agriculture.
 Primitive farming.
 Nomadic herding.
 Intensive subsistence farming.
Eg. Traditional subsistence farming- Shifting cultivation
increase food production by intensification
and extensification

 What is the difference between intensification and extensification?

 Intensification is defined as the increase in farm intensity, while the extensification
describes the opposite trend (e spread of a technology across an area). Farm input
intensity is used as a proxy of agricultural intensification.
 What is intensification in agriculture?
 Intensification is defined as increasing agricultural production per unit of input; often,
but not necessarily so, this increase is per unit of land

 Farmers worldwide will need to increase crop production, either by increasing the
amount of agricultural land to grow crops or by enhancing productivity on existing
agricultural lands through fertilizer and irrigation and adopting new methods like
precision farming
Increasing agricultural yields
reduction in livestock and increase in growing
crops

 How does livestock affect food security?

 livestock decrease food supply by competing with people for food, especially grains fed
to pigs and poultry. ... However, livestock directly contribute to nutrition security
reduce food waste

 Plan your meals. Instead of buying whatever is left on the shelves, try to buy only what
you eat, and eat what you buy. ...
 Organize your fridge for success. ...
 Learn some new cooking skills. ...
 Start composting. ...
 Donate food
Rationing

 How can the government help food insecurity?

 Government programs and policies play an important role too. Federal domestic nutrition
programs such as SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), Women, Infants, and Children
Program (WIC), and the school lunch program are just a few examples. These programs
keep millions of Americans from going hungry.
Managing Soil Erosion
Sustainable Agriculture
Non-Renewable and Renewable Energy
sources

 non-renewable resources:
 – fossil fuel (oil, natural gas, coal), nuclear energy using uranium as a fuel

 renewable resources:
 – biofuels (biomass including wood, bioethanol and biogas), geothermal energy,
hydroelectric dams, tidal energy, wave energy, solar energy, wind energy
Fossil Fuel formation

 All fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) have two characteristics in common in
their formation:
1. Formed from the decomposition of the remains of plants and animals
2. Takes million of years for them to accumulate and form deposits which are
large enough to be exploited for human use
 Anticline Oil Trap

Arrangement of the rocks are favorable

Oil deposits are significantly large enough
Once confirmed, engineers than drill down into the porous rock to get oil
When large enough deposits are found than a drilling rig is set up above the oil trap
Oil and gas are forced up the surface through pipes
Summary
Energy resources and the generation of
electricity
Important features of world energy demand
Non-renewable energy sources and electricity generation

Thermal (coal, oil, natural gas) and nuclear (uranium) are non-renewable resources used to
generate electricity
Process to make electricity shown in fig.2.8 (same for all fossil fuels )
Fuel source is burned to heat water and make steam in the boiler ; steam turns turbine ;
which generates electricity (generator)
 Advantages & Disadvantages of non-renewable energy sources

• Social
• Economic
• Environmental
Nuclear Power
 Nuclear Power

 No ozone depletion
 No global warming
 No acid rain
 However, lots of dangers from radiation (cancers, leukemia)
 Waste produced is radioactive (very dangerous to people and animal life for thousands of
years )
 No completely safe way has been found to dispose the waste
 Nuclear Power

 Public confidence in nuclear power was shattered by :

 Chernobyl in Ukraine (1986) great explosion in nuclear reactor ; killed workers, caused cancers ,
created a highly radioactive zone for thousands of years (people cant live there)
 Fukushima disaster in Japan (2011) ; earthquake caused tsunami wave which smashed against the
nuclear power station and triggered a triple meltdown; until this disaster one-third Japan’s electricity
was produced by nuclear; after disaster all nuclear production stopped
 Renewable energy sources and
electricity generation

1. Hydro- electric power (HEP)

2. Geothermal power
3. Biofuels
4. Wind power
5. Solar Power
6. Tidal Power
7. Wave Power
HEP- no fuel is used, fast flowing water drives
the turbines which generates electricity

 Suitable conditions should be present for HEP generation:

 Fast-flowing water
 High rainfall (preferably well distributed during the year)
 A natural water store
 A narrow, deep-sided valley suitable for building a dam (to make a reservoir)

 Countries without high mountains, big rivers, high rainfall, or money cannot
generate HEP
 Once up and running cheapest way  Dam is required to store water for
of producing electricity use all year around
 Continuous flow of water produces
 Economic- expensive
electricity without any pollution
 Water can be reused downstream  Conditions required are in remote
for drinking and irrigation places; long distance power lines
need to be built
 Social- People living there will have
to be re-located
Geothermal- no fuel required; heat from the ground is used;
e.g. Iceland
 Dig deep enough anywhere into the Earth’s crust and there is heat.
 However, only economic to use this heat for geothermal power where it is at or
near the surface; known volcanic areas
 Biofuels

 Biomass (fuelwood, animal waste, crop waste) can be used to produce biogas
(smaller scale-used in rural areas) and biofuels (e.g.wood, bioethanol) (can be
used at a commercial scale)
 Biomass should be a renewable energy resource
 Carbon neutral- carbon released in the atmosphere when it is burned should be offset by
the new forest/plants as it grows , since it used carbon from the atmosphere
 However, we ae consuming resources faster than they are being replenished
  Larger amount of resource is
 Unlike wind and solar it can be needed to produce the same
stored and used when needed amount of energy as coal
 Wind and solar are now in widespread use

 Modern wind turbine stands over 30m high

 Has blades made out of fiber glass
 Several turbines placed together- wind farm
 Location (strong winds frequent):
 Hill tops/ open high ground
 Onshore (next to the coast on land)
 Offshore (in the sea, but close to the coast)
 Noisy and can kill birds
 Lots of R & D in solar panels, have brought their cost down ; solar panels in
Europe are now 80% cheaper than they were 5 years ago
 Every day coastal areas experience 2 high and 2 low tides (not weather
dependent)
 To harness the energy of the tide, a dam or barrage must be built across an
estuary
  Cost of building a dam is
 Unlike hydro, wind and solar enormous
they can be guaranteed  To make the project economically
viable; big tidal range (difference
in height of high and low tide)
 Building a dam can have an
environmental effect (water flows,
 Wave power- electricity generated by
wave movement (early stages)

 Waves (movement of water because of wind)

 Machines like giant worms float on the sea surface
 Goal is to develop machines which can generate large amounts of energy to
make them commercially viable
 Disadvantages
1.  Most are expensive to install and maintain
2.  Construction of dams can destroy habitats and cause
silting. Also a village’s inhabitants may need to be
moved.
3. Building dams for HEP causes floods and destroys
wildlife
4. PV cells use toxic substance such as cadmium
sulphide
5. Wind turbines are noisy and can kill birds , spoil
scenic beauty
6. Solar panels and Wind power depend upon weather
(wrong weather days)
7. Difficult to generate electricity in much quantity as
that of fossil fuels (low efficiency)
8. High cost of research into new technology
Energy Security

 the reliable availability of energy sources at an affordable

price with a consideration of the environmental impacts
 The four As of energy security (availability,
affordability, accessibility and acceptability)
Energy Security

 •long-term energy security:

– supply of energy that is in line with economic developments and environmental needs
 Long-term measures to increase energy security center on reducing dependence on any
one source of imported energy, increasing the number of suppliers, exploiting native 
fossil fuel or renewable energy resources, and reducing overall demand through 
energy conservation measures.

 • short-term energy security:

 – systems that react promptly to sudden changes in the supply-demand balance
Causes of energy insecurity

 fossil fuel depletion (non-renewable so running out)

 inequality in global energy resources (some countries have more fossil fuel resources
verses others)
 population growth (more population, more energy demand/ more goods needed)
 differing energy needs of countries in different income groups (more wealth/ high
standard of living/ more energy use)
 climate change (change in wind patterns/ change in precipitation patterns etc.)
 supply disruption (some renewable sources can be intermittent, fossil fuel disruption)
 – natural disasters, piracy, terrorism (Fukushima 2011 etc.)
Impacts of energy insecurity

 disrupted electricity supply to homes and industry

 increasing prices for energy resources
 increasing costs for industry
 job losses, economic recession
 increased levels of poverty and low standards of living
 reliance on imported sources of energy
 civil disruption and conflict
strategies for managing energy security

 increasing energy efficiency ( energy efficient vehicles, hybrid cars, inverter Acs, energy
savers, insulation of walls and windows etc.)
 increasing energy production (renewable energy sources)
 reducing reliance on fossil fuels (renewable energy resources)
 investing in renewable resources and carbon neutral fuels (solar, wind, biofuels etc.)
 development of alternative energy technologies (nuclear, renewable)
 investment in local energy projects (biogas, waste to energy etc.)
 rationing (setting quotas for use)
Waste Management
Methods of waste disposal and treatment

 landfill sites
 incineration
 storage
 disposal at sea
 recycling
 exporting waste
Landfills

 Landfill is an engineered pit, in which layers of solid waste are filled, compacted and
covered for final disposal. It is lined at the bottom to prevent groundwater pollution. ...
Landfills need expert design as well as skilled operators and a proper management to
guarantee their functionality.
 What is the difference between landfill and dump?
 A dump is an excavated piece of land used as storage for waste materials while a landfill
is also an excavated piece of land for waste storage but it is regulated by the government.
2. A dump is smaller than a landfill. ... A dump does not have leachate collection and
treatment systems while a landfill does.
Landfills- negative and positives

 there are many negative issues associated with them. Rubbish buried in landfill breaks down at a very
slow rate and remains a problem for future generations. The three main problems with landfill are toxins,
leachate and greenhouse gases.
 No matter how many barriers, liners, and pipes we install to try to mitigate the risk, landfills will always
leak toxic chemicals into the soil and water.

 Landfills allow the correct disposal of solid urban waste, have a large waste reception capacity,
reduce the risk of environmental pollution, prevent disease transmission, keep water, the soil and the air
protected, reduce the risk of fire and preserve the quality of life

 Landfills can safely handle non-hazardous municipal solid waste, constriction and demolition waste,
land clearing debris, some industrial wastes, coal ash, sewage sludge, treated medical wastes
Incineration

 Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances

contained in waste materials. ... Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment
systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts
the waste into ash, flue gas and heat.
 Three types of waste to which incineration is applied extensively are municipal solid
waste, hazardous waste, and medical waste.
Storage

 “Solid waste storage” means the interim containment of solid waste, in an approved manner,
after generating and prior to collection and disposal. “Storage container” means
a garbage can, dumpster or other container used or designed for the deposit or storage of
solid waste before transport to the landfill.
 What is the importance of storing waste materials?
 It's their ethical responsibility to do things properly so people, buildings, and land don't
get contaminated or destroyed. No one wants to live near a dump where hazardous material
is seeping into the local water source or polluting the air they breathe everyday into their
lungs
Impacts of waste disposal methods

 contamination of soil leading to leaching and contamination of ground water

 build-up and release of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4) with a danger of explosions
 visual and noise pollution and unpleasant odour
 risk of spread of disease
 release of toxic substances
 bioaccumulation and biomagnification
 plastics and microplastics in oceans
strategies to reduce the impacts of waste
disposal

 reduce, reuse and recycle

 biodegradable plastics
 food waste for animal feed
 composting
 fermentation
 use of waste to generate energy
 education
 financial incentives and legislation
Waste management strategies
Fermentation
Use of waste to generate energy

 Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste (MSW), often

called garbage or trash, to produce steam in a boiler that is used to generate electricity
Biodegradable plastics

 What is biodegradable waste plastic?

 Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living
organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. Biodegradable
plastics are commonly produced with renewable raw materials, micro-organisms,
petrochemicals, or combinations of all three.

 Biodegradable plastics are those that can decompose naturally in the environment. The
makeup structure of biodegradable plastics makes them easily break down by natural
microorganisms, giving an end product that is less harmful to the environment.
Advantages of biodegradable plastics

 Biodegradable plastic's ability to break down within a year means it has several
advantages over traditional plastics:
 It decreases the waste sent to landfills or incinerators. ...
 It takes less energy to manufacture. ...
 It releases fewer harmful substances when breaking down.
Drawbacks of biodegradable plastics

 When some biodegradable plastics decompose in landfills, they produce methane gas.
This is a very powerful greenhouse gas that adds to the problem of global warming.
Biodegradable plastics and bioplastics don't always readily decompose