Food Production and Loss of Biodiversity Essay Example

Introduction

Food security is a hot topic across the world today. The effects of climate change, environmental degradation, and other factors are affecting the consistency and sustainability of food production. The goal of sustainable agricultural practices is to ensure that the food, fodder, and textile needs of society are met without compromising the livelihood of future generations (Feenstra et al., 2018). The increasing population of people in the world has led to a high demand for food which has pushed production methods to the limits. Researchers are looking for ways to increase food production to ensure the world remains food secure in the face of a growing populace. Achieving food security with reduced environmental damage is becoming a challenge under an ever-increasing global population (Holt et al., 2016). The quest for food production has impacted negatively on biodiversity and the environment.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the genetic variability of species, their population abundance and variety within an ecosystem, and their habitats within a landscape (WWF, 2016). Having biodiversity is a crucial factor towards successful food production but the current methods used to ensure food security are cause for alarm due to their impact on biodiversity. Many species have either been threatened or rendered extinct due to the agricultural processes in play. Food systems have affected biodiversity in several ways as indicated below:

Land use changes- the desire to ensure food security has led to the demand for additional production. This feat is often achieved by land reclamation to increase the acreage under food crops. It has led to deforestation and land reclamation as forests, savannahs, marshes, and other natural ecosystems pave the way for agricultural endeavors. Natural landscapes are quickly turning into vast plantations (WWF, 2016). Deserts and marshlands are biodiverse ecosystems, and hence human activities of making them agriculturally productive kill the native plants, animals, microorganism, and bacteria. When these ecosystems disappear, the animals and organisms that live there lose their natural habitat where they can maintain a viable population ("Biodiversity loss", 2018).

Monocultures- it is the cultivation and creation of single-crop ecosystems. A wheat plantation is a perfect example of a monoculture. As the name suggests, these ecosystems consist of a single crop hence they are inherently not biodiverse. Permaculture, the opposite of monoculture, is biodiverse due to the different species grown. Different plants offer various benefits to the soil and environment hence a variety means increased biodiversity (WWF, 2016). In a monoculture, insects are eliminated, and other plants are removed to ensure a specific food crop thrives. Using chemical inputs has affected more than the pests. The control of specialized pests has led to collateral damage that has affected bees which are critical agents of pollination. Bees are important in the ecosystem since they help in the natural pollination of a third of the food we consume on a daily basis (Naidoo, 2014). They have experienced a catastrophic decline throughout North America and Europe as the use of pesticides decimates them. Few microorganisms lead to low nutrition which causes farmers to apply fertilizers in what becomes a vicious cycle. Monoculture also increases the risk of attacks by specialized predators and fungi which farmers often combat using harmful fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides.

Directing the evolution of different species- This scenario is primarily caused by personal food preference and a market drive to satisfy these tastes. It has led to the specialization in the species that are renowned for producing mass quantities for human consumption. Human tastes can make one plant to be wildly successful at the expense of another that is considered not to be economically viable. Killing off predators of domesticated animals is also an example of eliminating the species that do not contribute to the agricultural advancement and food production. Today, 75% of the world's food comes from five animal species and twelve plants (WWF, 2016).

Environment and Biodiversity

Agriculture is a crucial driver of biodiversity loss. An estimated 300 species of vertebrae have gone extinct over the last 500 years, and many more are still threatened with extinction (Chaudhary and Kastner, 2016). This statistic represents a worrying trend regarding the variety of life on earth, and hence there is an urgent need to address this issue and find a balance.

The clearing of forests to create space for agricultural plantations affects the circulation of gases in the atmosphere. Trees help in cleaning the environment since they absorb carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen that we inhale. Clearing of forests means that a significant amount of carbon dioxide will be left in the atmosphere unabsorbed thus increasing the speed and severity of global warming. Forests are also storehouses of future genetic materials and crop variety with untapped benefits (WWF, 2016).

Food production has also contributed significantly towards the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. According to research conducted by Greenpeace, agriculture accounts for roughly 17%-32% of the total emissions caused by humans (Naidoo, 2014). The food value chains amplify the negative environmental impact through energy use, transportation, and waste disposal. For example, transport systems like trucks emit a lot of harmful gases that end up polluting the atmosphere. Modern agriculture is heavily reliant on non-renewable sources of energy, and this cannot be sustained indefinitely (Feenstra et al., 2018).

Nutrient loading is contributing significantly towards ecosystem dysfunction and loss of biodiversity. The most detailed data available shows the effect of nitrogen in the environment. Estimates indicate that there has been a global doubling in the amount of reactive nitrogen in the atmosphere since the pre-industrial era ("Food security and environmental impacts", 2012). This situation has been caused by the massive application of nitrogen fertilizers in the soil. Excess quantities of reactive nitrogen in the atmosphere will lead to air pollution as well as eutrophication of terrestrial, coastal, and aquatic ecosystems. Pesticides and fertilizers leach into the soil, and they are carried into fresh-water bodies where they cause pollution (WWF, 2016). Roughly 50%-80% of the nitrogen deposited into Europe's freshwater ecosystems is a result of agricultural activities.

Control

Industrialized countries can limit biodiversity loss by reducing their imports and planting the crops instead. Declining biodiversity is worsening due to the increased connectivity of the world caused by globalization. There is an increase in the international flow of crops, and hence it is vital to understand the environmental impact of such movements. Trade between countries means that biodiversity loss in one country could be caused by the demand of another. Third world countries produce farm products that are often exported to other countries for processing or consumption (WWF, 2016). The countries of origin usually clear forests and natural vegetation to increase the amounts for exports to earn high amounts. Imports from Mexico and Indonesia to China and the US were estimated to be responsible for a biodiversity loss of 19 and 20 species respectively within the country of origin (Chaudhary and Kastner, 2016). Industrialized nations are net importers of negative biodiversity impacts since they increase the already high loss caused by the high demand for domestic consumption. Such nations could produce more locally than importing to help in reducing the negative impacts of biodiversity loss in the country of origin.

Practising ecological farming methods will also help to stem the declining biodiversity and improve the environment. On-farm practices are designed to allow for the coexistence of plants and animals species within the farm alongside the main crop (Norris, 2008). This method will increase the biodiversity but reduce the total yields since land sparing reduces the total acreage under food production. Ecological farming will increase the resilience against climate shocks while producing healthy food for all. The diversity of seeds, many different plants on the same field, different insects like bees, and a focus on mixed agriculture will help to enhance biodiversity while maintaining food production.

Reducing the application of pesticides and fertilizers will also help in reducing environmental degradation. These applications aimed at boosting yields have caused air, soil, and water pollution. However, it is difficult to cease the use of chemicals since they are the most widely used way of ensuring food productivity is high.

Conclusion

Food security is a paramount issue since people must eat to live. The quest for increased production has been brought about by a rising global population. Intensive agriculture has increased the total acreage under food production, but this has come at the cost of biodiversity loss. New land use patterns, monoculture, and interfering with the evolution of species has given rise to declining biodiversity. The environment is also negatively affected when these natural ecosystems are destroyed to pave the way for farmlands resulting in the unwanted build-up of greenhouse gases and water pollution. It is important to employ measures that will maintain productivity while increasing biodiversity to ensure sustainability and environmental conservation.

References

Biodiversity loss. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/food-systems-southeast-asia/1/steps/111015Chaudhary, A. and Kastner, T. (2016). Land use biodiversity impacts embodied in international food trade. Global Environmental Change, 38: 195-204. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016. 03.013

Feenstra, G., Ingels, C., & Campbell, D. (2018). What is sustainable agriculture?. Retrieved from http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/about/what-is-sustainable-agriculture

Food security and environmental impacts. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/agriculture/greening-agricultural-policy/food-security-and-environmental-impacts

Naidoo, K. (2014). The food system we choose affects biodiversity: do we want monocultures?. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/food-system-monocultures-gm-un-diversity-day

Norris, K. (2008). Agriculture and biodiversity conservation: opportunity knocks. Conservation Letters, 1(1), 2-11. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263x.2008.00007.x

Holt, A., Alix, A., Thompson, A., & Maltby, L. (2016). Food production, ecosystem services and biodiversity: We can't have it all everywhere. Science Of The Total Environment, 573, 1422-1429. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.139

WWF. 2016. Living Planet Report 2016. Risk and resilience in a new era. WWF International, Gland, Switzerland