How will fresh water shortages affect agriculture and sanitation by 2025?
Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater for our domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable leaving only 1% for our needs.
· As a result, some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year. Inadequate sanitation is also a problem for 2.4 billion people—they are exposed to diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses. Two million people, mostly children, die each year from diarrheal diseases alone.
· Many of the water systems that keep ecosystems thriving and feed a growing human population have become stressed. Rivers, lakes and aquifers are drying up or becoming too polluted to use. More than half the world’s wetlands have disappeared. Agriculture consumes more water than any other source (80% of our supply) and wastes as much as 60% of that through inefficiencies. Climate change is altering patterns of weather and water around the world, causing shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others.
· Without changing the way we access, transport, store, consume, and expel fresh water this situation will only get worse. By 2025, two-thirds (around 70%) of the world’s population will face water shortages, and ecosystems around the world will suffer even more.
How will soil erosion affect agriculture production by 2025?
Generating one inch of top soil takes 1,000 years, and if current rates of degradation continue all of the world's top soil could be gone within 60 years.
· About a third of the world's soil has already been degraded. The causes of soil destruction include chemical-heavy farming techniques, deforestation which increases erosion, and climate change.
· Soils are the basis of life and ninety five percent of our food comes from the soil. Unless new approaches are adopted, the global amount of arable and productive land per person in 2025 will be 50% less than we had available in 1960. By 2025 we will need to feed 8 billion people on half the land that it took us in 1960 to feed 3 billion. By 2050 we will only have a quarter (25%) of the level in 1960, due to growing populations and soil degradation. This means by 2050 we will need to feed almost 10 billion people on 75% less farmland.
How does nutrient pollution from agriculture affect people and the environment?
Nutrient pollution is one of America's most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems, and is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water.
· Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that are natural parts of aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogen is also the most abundant element in the air we breathe. Nitrogen and phosphorus support the growth of algae and aquatic plants, which provide food and habitat for fish, shellfish and smaller organisms that live in water.
· But when too much nitrogen and phosphorus enter the environment - usually from a wide range of human activities - the air and water can become polluted. Nutrient pollution has impacted many streams, rivers, lakes, bays and coastal waters for the past several decades, resulting in serious environmental and human health issues, and impacting the economy.
· Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle. Significant increases in algae harm water quality, food resources and habitats, and decrease the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. Large growths of algae are called algal blooms and they can severely reduce or eliminate oxygen in the water, leading to illnesses in fish and the death of large numbers of fish. Some algal blooms are harmful to humans because they produce elevated toxins and bacterial growth that can make people sick if they come into contact with polluted water, consume tainted fish or shellfish, or drink contaminated water.
· Nutrient pollution in ground water - which millions of people in the United States use as their drinking water source - can be harmful, even at low levels. Infants are vulnerable to a nitrogen-based compound called nitrates in drinking water. Excess nitrogen in the atmosphere can produce pollutants such as ammonia and ozone, which can impair our ability to breathe, limit visibility and alter plant growth. When excess nitrogen comes back to earth from the atmosphere, it can harm the health of forests, soils and waterways.
How will climate change impact agriculture and our food supply?
Agriculture is an important sector of the U.S. economy. The crops, livestock, and seafood produced in the United States contribute more than $300 billion to the economy each year. When food-service and other agriculture-related industries are included, the agricultural and food sectors contribute more than $750 billion to the gross domestic product.
· Agricultural production and fisheries are highly dependent on the climate. Increases in temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) can increase some crop yields in some places. But to realize these benefits, nutrient levels, soil moisture, water availability, and other conditions must also be met. Changes in the frequency and severity of droughts, frosts, and floods could pose challenges for farmers and ranchers and threaten food safety. Meanwhile, shifts in water temperatures are likely to cause the habitat ranges of many fish and shellfish species to shift, which could disrupt ecosystems. Overall, climate change could make it more difficult to grow crops, raise animals, and catch fish in the same ways and same places as we have done in the past. The effects of climate change also need to be considered along with other evolving factors that affect agricultural production, such as changes in farming practices and technology.
Impacts on Crops
Crops grown in the United States are critical for the food supply here and around the world. U.S. farms supply nearly 25% of all grains (such as wheat, corn, and rice) on the global market. Changes in temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather could have significant impacts on crop yields.
For any particular crop, the effect of increased temperature will depend on the crop's optimal temperature for growth and reproduction. In some areas, warming may benefit the types of crops that are typically planted there, or allow farmers to shift to crops that are currently grown in warmer areas. Conversely, if the higher temperature exceeds a crop's optimum temperature, yields will decline.
Americans consume more than 36 million metric tons of meat and poultry annually. Livestock and poultry account for over half of U.S. agricultural cash receipts, often over $100 billion per year. Changes in climate could affect animals both directly and indirectly.
American fishermen catch or harvest five million metric tons of fish and shellfish each year. U.S. fisheries contribute more than $1.55 billion to the economy annually (as of 2012). Many fisheries already face multiple stresses, including overfishing and water pollution. Climate change may worsen these stresses. In particular, temperature changes could lead to significant impacts. The ranges of many fish and shellfish species may change. In waters off the northeastern United States, several economically important species have shifted northward since the late 1960s.
· Many aquatic species can find colder areas of streams and lakes or move north along the coast or in the ocean. Nevertheless, moving into new areas may put these species into competition with other species over food and other resources. Some marine disease outbreaks have been linked with changing climate.
· Higher water temperatures and higher estuarine salinities have enabled an oyster parasite to spread farther north along the Atlantic coast. Winter warming in the Arctic is contributing to salmon diseases in the Bering Sea and a resulting reduction in the Yukon Chinook Salmon; finally, warmer temperatures have caused disease outbreaks in coral, eelgrass, and abalone.
· Changes in temperature and seasons can affect the timing of reproduction and migration. Many steps within an aquatic animal's lifecycle are controlled by temperature and the changing of the seasons. For example, in the Northwest warmer water temperatures may affect the lifecycle of salmon and increase the likelihood of disease. Combined with other climate impacts, these effects are projected to lead to large declines in salmon populations.
· In addition to warming, the world's oceans are gradually becoming more acidic due to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Increasing acidity could harm shellfish by weakening their shells, which are created by removing calcium from seawater. Acidification also threatens the structures of sensitive ecosystems upon which some fish and shellfish rely such as the coral reefs.
International Impacts
Climate change is very likely to affect food security at the global, regional, and local level. Climate change can disrupt food availability, reduce access to food, and affect food quality. For example, projected shifts in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, changes in extreme weather events, top soil erosion, nutrient pollution, and reductions in fresh water availability may all result in reduced agricultural productivity. Increases in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events can also interrupt food delivery, and resulting spikes in food prices after extreme events are expected to be more frequent in the future. Temperatures swings can contribute to spoilage and contamination.
· Internationally, these effects of climate change on agriculture and food supply are likely to be similar to those seen in the United States. However, other stressors such as population growth may magnify the effects of climate change on food security. In developing countries, adaptation options like changes in crop-management or ranching practices, or improvements to irrigation are more limited than in the United States and other industrialized nations.
· Any climate-related disturbance to food distribution and transport, internationally or domestically, may have significant impacts not only on safety and quality but also on food access. For example, the food transportation system in the United States frequently moves large volumes of grain by water. In the case of an extreme weather event affecting a waterway, there are few, if any, alternate pathways for transport. High temperatures and a shortage of rain in the summer of 2012 led to one of the most severe summer droughts the nation has seen and posed serious impacts to the Mississippi River watershed, a major transcontinental shipping route for Midwestern agriculture. This drought resulted in significant food and economic losses due to reductions in barge traffic, the volume of goods carried, and the number of Americans employed by the tugboat industry. The 2012 drought was immediately followed by flooding throughout the Mississippi in the spring of 2013, which also resulted in disruptions of barge traffic and food transport. Transportation changes such as these reduce the ability of farmers to export their grains to international markets, and can affect global food prices.
· Impacts to the global food supply concern the United States because food shortages can cause humanitarian crises and national security concerns. They also can increase domestic food prices.
What is the solution? The Way of the Future: Aquaponics vs. Traditional Agriculture
Petroleum Use: Aquaponics vs. Traditional Agriculture
· Because there is no soil to till, there is no longer a need to use tractors and gas-powered farm equipment for food production. Commercial aquaponics operations typically employ a raft method, deep water culture, or flood and drain systems. These systems do not require the kind of labor that soil-based farming does. Aquaponics takes 90% less time and effort to produce food.
· Since there are no weeds in aquaponics, there is no need to mechanically remove weeds or spray herbicides. Since the plant nutrients and water are both integral to an aquaponics system, there is no need for petroleum-based fertilizers or truck-mounted irrigators. This lowers the production cost and generates more profit for the farmer. It also lowers the chance for crop failure and produces healthier food for the consumer. Since aquaponically grown plants are either growing in waist-high grow beds or in rafts floating in water, they are much easier to harvest than soil-grown plants.
· Aquaponic systems can economically be set up anywhere. With aquaponics you are able to artificially establish an appropriate climate for the plants. Aquaponics eliminates top soil erosion and will give the farmland time to recover. Aquaponics is particularly well adapted to providing food to local communities that might not otherwise have fertile land available for growing.
· Since over half of humanity now lives in our cities, it is important that food-growing facilities be established where the people are, rather than trucking food in from distant locations. Currently, most of our produce is shipped hundreds, if not thousands of miles from farms to markets. Imagine how much fuel and money could be saved if we actually grew our food in our city centers. This would also cut the price of food almost in half because transportation costs take up at least 40% of the cost for food currently.
Water Use: Aquaponics vs. Traditional Agriculture
· Modern agricultural methods waste an incredible amount of water. Water is either sprayed or flooded through fields where a huge amount either evaporates into the air on a hot day, or seeps past the plant roots and into the water table, pulling chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides down with it.
· Aquaponics, on the other hand, is a closed, recirculating system. The only water that leaves the system is the small amounts taken up by the plants (some of which transpires through the leaves) or that evaporates from the top of the tank. That's it. Aquaponics uses less than a tenth the amount of water a comparable soil-based garden uses.
· Aquaponics is even more water thrifty than it's horticultural cousin, hydroponics. Since aquaponics is an organic ecosystem in which the nutrients are balanced naturally, there is never any toxic buildup of nutrients.
Climate Change: Aquaponics vs. Traditional Agriculture
· An aquaponics system is a food-growing system that could have zero impact on our environment, especially if the pumps and heaters are powered through renewable energy sources. Except for purely wild food-growing systems, such as the ocean, and most permaculture techniques, no other food system that I know of can make that claim.
· On the other hand, traditional agriculture is the single largest contributor of CO2 emissions, while simultaneously contributing to the ongoing shrinking of the earth's CO2 filter through the need for more and more land for growing crops and raising cattle. The main pollutant sources are CO2 emissions from all the petroleum being used in farm production and food transportation, methane from cattle production, and nitrous oxide from over-fertilizing. Aquaponics requires none of these inputs. Petroleum needs in aquaponics range from much less to zero. Fish don't produce methane as cattle do, and there is no chance of over-fertilizing an aquaponics system.
Aquaponics for Home Owners Back Yards, Unused City Property, Building Roof Tops, and Unused Factories or Warehouses
· Perhaps most importantly, aquaponic systems can be started anywhere. So now instead of clearing jungles and forests we can instead focus on our urban centers and begin to think of 75 million small family farms in back yards across America, unused roof tops, and unused factory or warehouse buildings as the farms for our future. While perhaps not suited to growing vast fields of grain, aquaponics can now grow any vegetable and many types of fruit crops, and do it in a way that is even more productive on a square foot basis, even in an urban setting.
· Aquaponics can produce 50,000 pounds of tilapia and 100,000 pounds of vegetables per year in a single acre of space. By contrast, one grass-fed cow requires eight acres of grassland. Another way of looking at it is that over the course of a year, aquaponics will generate about 35,000 pounds of edible flesh per acre, while the grass-fed beef will generate about 75 pounds in the same space.
Back Yard Bail-Out Bill
Americans consume 600 billion pounds of food a year. With 75 million small (less than 500 square feet) greenhouse domes in back yards across America we could produce almost 500 billion pounds of food per year! With the food-service industries included this would contribute almost a trillion dollars towards our GDP annually. Americans consume around 200 billion pounds of fruit and vegetables, and 10 billion pounds of fish per year. We could more than double our domestic fish, fruit, and vegetable production in one year! This would give us food price stability in our markets, food security for our citizens, more nutritionally dense food giving us better health and benefit economies locally, regionally, nationally, and with an increase in exports internationally.
We need a Back Yard Bail-Out Bill! The 75 billion dollar national initial investment (building small aquaponic greenhouses for families in every back yard in America) would give us a trillion dollar national annual return on our original investment. This would create up to a 100 million new small businesses and jobs growing our economy out of recession and give us a solution for paying our way out of national debt. With the extra available taxes we could rebuild our infrastructure, support pensions, and fund Social Security, and Medicaid/Medicare for future generations.
At edensreturn.com we offer a complete aquaponic greenhouse kit that will produce up to 6,500 pounds of organic food annually on less than 500 square feet for under $3,000. The advantage of using our system is you will be able to produce all the aquaponic inputs right at home including electricity if using our off grid package. The average household spends over $6,500 a year on food but with our aquaponic system that could be reduced to zero.
Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater for our domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable leaving only 1% for our needs.
· As a result, some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year. Inadequate sanitation is also a problem for 2.4 billion people—they are exposed to diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses. Two million people, mostly children, die each year from diarrheal diseases alone.
· Many of the water systems that keep ecosystems thriving and feed a growing human population have become stressed. Rivers, lakes and aquifers are drying up or becoming too polluted to use. More than half the world’s wetlands have disappeared. Agriculture consumes more water than any other source (80% of our supply) and wastes as much as 60% of that through inefficiencies. Climate change is altering patterns of weather and water around the world, causing shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others.
· Without changing the way we access, transport, store, consume, and expel fresh water this situation will only get worse. By 2025, two-thirds (around 70%) of the world’s population will face water shortages, and ecosystems around the world will suffer even more.
How will soil erosion affect agriculture production by 2025?
Generating one inch of top soil takes 1,000 years, and if current rates of degradation continue all of the world's top soil could be gone within 60 years.
· About a third of the world's soil has already been degraded. The causes of soil destruction include chemical-heavy farming techniques, deforestation which increases erosion, and climate change.
· Soils are the basis of life and ninety five percent of our food comes from the soil. Unless new approaches are adopted, the global amount of arable and productive land per person in 2025 will be 50% less than we had available in 1960. By 2025 we will need to feed 8 billion people on half the land that it took us in 1960 to feed 3 billion. By 2050 we will only have a quarter (25%) of the level in 1960, due to growing populations and soil degradation. This means by 2050 we will need to feed almost 10 billion people on 75% less farmland.
How does nutrient pollution from agriculture affect people and the environment?
Nutrient pollution is one of America's most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems, and is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water.
· Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that are natural parts of aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogen is also the most abundant element in the air we breathe. Nitrogen and phosphorus support the growth of algae and aquatic plants, which provide food and habitat for fish, shellfish and smaller organisms that live in water.
· But when too much nitrogen and phosphorus enter the environment - usually from a wide range of human activities - the air and water can become polluted. Nutrient pollution has impacted many streams, rivers, lakes, bays and coastal waters for the past several decades, resulting in serious environmental and human health issues, and impacting the economy.
· Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle. Significant increases in algae harm water quality, food resources and habitats, and decrease the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. Large growths of algae are called algal blooms and they can severely reduce or eliminate oxygen in the water, leading to illnesses in fish and the death of large numbers of fish. Some algal blooms are harmful to humans because they produce elevated toxins and bacterial growth that can make people sick if they come into contact with polluted water, consume tainted fish or shellfish, or drink contaminated water.
· Nutrient pollution in ground water - which millions of people in the United States use as their drinking water source - can be harmful, even at low levels. Infants are vulnerable to a nitrogen-based compound called nitrates in drinking water. Excess nitrogen in the atmosphere can produce pollutants such as ammonia and ozone, which can impair our ability to breathe, limit visibility and alter plant growth. When excess nitrogen comes back to earth from the atmosphere, it can harm the health of forests, soils and waterways.
How will climate change impact agriculture and our food supply?
Agriculture is an important sector of the U.S. economy. The crops, livestock, and seafood produced in the United States contribute more than $300 billion to the economy each year. When food-service and other agriculture-related industries are included, the agricultural and food sectors contribute more than $750 billion to the gross domestic product.
· Agricultural production and fisheries are highly dependent on the climate. Increases in temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) can increase some crop yields in some places. But to realize these benefits, nutrient levels, soil moisture, water availability, and other conditions must also be met. Changes in the frequency and severity of droughts, frosts, and floods could pose challenges for farmers and ranchers and threaten food safety. Meanwhile, shifts in water temperatures are likely to cause the habitat ranges of many fish and shellfish species to shift, which could disrupt ecosystems. Overall, climate change could make it more difficult to grow crops, raise animals, and catch fish in the same ways and same places as we have done in the past. The effects of climate change also need to be considered along with other evolving factors that affect agricultural production, such as changes in farming practices and technology.
Impacts on Crops
Crops grown in the United States are critical for the food supply here and around the world. U.S. farms supply nearly 25% of all grains (such as wheat, corn, and rice) on the global market. Changes in temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather could have significant impacts on crop yields.
For any particular crop, the effect of increased temperature will depend on the crop's optimal temperature for growth and reproduction. In some areas, warming may benefit the types of crops that are typically planted there, or allow farmers to shift to crops that are currently grown in warmer areas. Conversely, if the higher temperature exceeds a crop's optimum temperature, yields will decline.
- Higher CO2 levels can affect crop yields. Some laboratory experiments suggest that elevated CO2 levels can increase plant growth. However, other factors, such as changing temperatures, ozone, and water and nutrient constraints, may counteract these potential increases in yield. For example, if temperature exceeds a crop's optimal level, if sufficient water and nutrients are not available, yield increases may be reduced or reversed. Elevated CO2 has been associated with reduced protein and nitrogen content in alfalfa and soybean plants, resulting in a loss of quality. Reduced grain and forage quality can reduce the ability of pasture and rangeland to support grazing livestock.
- More extreme temperature and precipitation can prevent crops from growing. Extreme events, especially floods, frosts, and droughts, can harm crops and reduce yields. For example, in 2010 and 2012, high nighttime temperatures affected corn yields across the U.S. Corn Belt, and premature budding due to a warm winter caused $220 million in losses of Michigan cherries in 2012.
- Dealing with drought could become a challenge in areas where rising summer temperatures cause soils to become drier. Although increased irrigation might be possible in some places, in other places water supplies may also be reduced, leaving less water available for irrigation when more is needed.
- Many weeds, pests, and fungi thrive under warmer temperatures, wetter climates, and increased CO2 levels. Currently, U.S. farmers spend more than $11 billion per year to fight weeds, which compete with crops for light, water, and nutrients. The ranges and distribution of weeds and pests are likely to increase with climate change. This could cause new problems for farmers' crops previously unexposed to these species.
- Though rising CO2 can stimulate plant growth, it also reduces the nutritional value of most food crops. Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide reduce the concentrations of protein and essential minerals in most plant species, including wheat, soybeans, and rice. This direct effect of rising CO2 on the nutritional value of crops represents a potential threat to human health. Human health is also threatened by increased pesticide use due to increased pest pressures and reductions in the efficacy of pesticides.
Americans consume more than 36 million metric tons of meat and poultry annually. Livestock and poultry account for over half of U.S. agricultural cash receipts, often over $100 billion per year. Changes in climate could affect animals both directly and indirectly.
- Heat waves, which are projected to increase under climate change, could directly threaten livestock. In 2011, exposure to high temperature events caused over $1 billion in heat-related losses to agricultural producers. Heat stress affects animals both directly and indirectly. Over time, heat stress can increase vulnerability to disease, reduce fertility, and reduce milk production.
- Drought may threaten pasture and feed supplies. Drought reduces the amount of quality forage available to grazing livestock. Some areas could experience longer, more intense droughts, resulting from higher summer temperatures and reduced precipitation. For animals that rely on grain, changes in crop production due to drought could also become a problem.
- Climate change may increase the prevalence of parasites and diseases that affect livestock. The earlier onset of spring and warmer winters could allow some parasites and pathogens to survive more easily. In areas with increased rainfall, moisture-reliant pathogens could thrive.
- Potential changes in veterinary practices, including an increase in the use of parasiticides and other animal health treatments, are likely to be adopted to maintain livestock health in response to climate-induced changes in pests, parasites, and microbes. This could increase the risk of pesticides entering the food chain or lead to evolution of pesticide resistance, with subsequent implications for the safety, distribution, and consumption of livestock and aquaculture products.
- Increases in carbon dioxide (CO2) may increase the productivity of pastures, but may also decrease their quality. Increases in atmospheric CO2 can increase the productivity of plants on which livestock feed. However, the quality of some of the forage found in pasturelands decreases with higher CO2. As a result, cattle would need to eat more to get the same nutritional benefits.
American fishermen catch or harvest five million metric tons of fish and shellfish each year. U.S. fisheries contribute more than $1.55 billion to the economy annually (as of 2012). Many fisheries already face multiple stresses, including overfishing and water pollution. Climate change may worsen these stresses. In particular, temperature changes could lead to significant impacts. The ranges of many fish and shellfish species may change. In waters off the northeastern United States, several economically important species have shifted northward since the late 1960s.
· Many aquatic species can find colder areas of streams and lakes or move north along the coast or in the ocean. Nevertheless, moving into new areas may put these species into competition with other species over food and other resources. Some marine disease outbreaks have been linked with changing climate.
· Higher water temperatures and higher estuarine salinities have enabled an oyster parasite to spread farther north along the Atlantic coast. Winter warming in the Arctic is contributing to salmon diseases in the Bering Sea and a resulting reduction in the Yukon Chinook Salmon; finally, warmer temperatures have caused disease outbreaks in coral, eelgrass, and abalone.
· Changes in temperature and seasons can affect the timing of reproduction and migration. Many steps within an aquatic animal's lifecycle are controlled by temperature and the changing of the seasons. For example, in the Northwest warmer water temperatures may affect the lifecycle of salmon and increase the likelihood of disease. Combined with other climate impacts, these effects are projected to lead to large declines in salmon populations.
· In addition to warming, the world's oceans are gradually becoming more acidic due to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Increasing acidity could harm shellfish by weakening their shells, which are created by removing calcium from seawater. Acidification also threatens the structures of sensitive ecosystems upon which some fish and shellfish rely such as the coral reefs.
International Impacts
Climate change is very likely to affect food security at the global, regional, and local level. Climate change can disrupt food availability, reduce access to food, and affect food quality. For example, projected shifts in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, changes in extreme weather events, top soil erosion, nutrient pollution, and reductions in fresh water availability may all result in reduced agricultural productivity. Increases in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events can also interrupt food delivery, and resulting spikes in food prices after extreme events are expected to be more frequent in the future. Temperatures swings can contribute to spoilage and contamination.
· Internationally, these effects of climate change on agriculture and food supply are likely to be similar to those seen in the United States. However, other stressors such as population growth may magnify the effects of climate change on food security. In developing countries, adaptation options like changes in crop-management or ranching practices, or improvements to irrigation are more limited than in the United States and other industrialized nations.
· Any climate-related disturbance to food distribution and transport, internationally or domestically, may have significant impacts not only on safety and quality but also on food access. For example, the food transportation system in the United States frequently moves large volumes of grain by water. In the case of an extreme weather event affecting a waterway, there are few, if any, alternate pathways for transport. High temperatures and a shortage of rain in the summer of 2012 led to one of the most severe summer droughts the nation has seen and posed serious impacts to the Mississippi River watershed, a major transcontinental shipping route for Midwestern agriculture. This drought resulted in significant food and economic losses due to reductions in barge traffic, the volume of goods carried, and the number of Americans employed by the tugboat industry. The 2012 drought was immediately followed by flooding throughout the Mississippi in the spring of 2013, which also resulted in disruptions of barge traffic and food transport. Transportation changes such as these reduce the ability of farmers to export their grains to international markets, and can affect global food prices.
· Impacts to the global food supply concern the United States because food shortages can cause humanitarian crises and national security concerns. They also can increase domestic food prices.
What is the solution? The Way of the Future: Aquaponics vs. Traditional Agriculture
Petroleum Use: Aquaponics vs. Traditional Agriculture
· Because there is no soil to till, there is no longer a need to use tractors and gas-powered farm equipment for food production. Commercial aquaponics operations typically employ a raft method, deep water culture, or flood and drain systems. These systems do not require the kind of labor that soil-based farming does. Aquaponics takes 90% less time and effort to produce food.
· Since there are no weeds in aquaponics, there is no need to mechanically remove weeds or spray herbicides. Since the plant nutrients and water are both integral to an aquaponics system, there is no need for petroleum-based fertilizers or truck-mounted irrigators. This lowers the production cost and generates more profit for the farmer. It also lowers the chance for crop failure and produces healthier food for the consumer. Since aquaponically grown plants are either growing in waist-high grow beds or in rafts floating in water, they are much easier to harvest than soil-grown plants.
· Aquaponic systems can economically be set up anywhere. With aquaponics you are able to artificially establish an appropriate climate for the plants. Aquaponics eliminates top soil erosion and will give the farmland time to recover. Aquaponics is particularly well adapted to providing food to local communities that might not otherwise have fertile land available for growing.
· Since over half of humanity now lives in our cities, it is important that food-growing facilities be established where the people are, rather than trucking food in from distant locations. Currently, most of our produce is shipped hundreds, if not thousands of miles from farms to markets. Imagine how much fuel and money could be saved if we actually grew our food in our city centers. This would also cut the price of food almost in half because transportation costs take up at least 40% of the cost for food currently.
Water Use: Aquaponics vs. Traditional Agriculture
· Modern agricultural methods waste an incredible amount of water. Water is either sprayed or flooded through fields where a huge amount either evaporates into the air on a hot day, or seeps past the plant roots and into the water table, pulling chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides down with it.
· Aquaponics, on the other hand, is a closed, recirculating system. The only water that leaves the system is the small amounts taken up by the plants (some of which transpires through the leaves) or that evaporates from the top of the tank. That's it. Aquaponics uses less than a tenth the amount of water a comparable soil-based garden uses.
· Aquaponics is even more water thrifty than it's horticultural cousin, hydroponics. Since aquaponics is an organic ecosystem in which the nutrients are balanced naturally, there is never any toxic buildup of nutrients.
Climate Change: Aquaponics vs. Traditional Agriculture
· An aquaponics system is a food-growing system that could have zero impact on our environment, especially if the pumps and heaters are powered through renewable energy sources. Except for purely wild food-growing systems, such as the ocean, and most permaculture techniques, no other food system that I know of can make that claim.
· On the other hand, traditional agriculture is the single largest contributor of CO2 emissions, while simultaneously contributing to the ongoing shrinking of the earth's CO2 filter through the need for more and more land for growing crops and raising cattle. The main pollutant sources are CO2 emissions from all the petroleum being used in farm production and food transportation, methane from cattle production, and nitrous oxide from over-fertilizing. Aquaponics requires none of these inputs. Petroleum needs in aquaponics range from much less to zero. Fish don't produce methane as cattle do, and there is no chance of over-fertilizing an aquaponics system.
Aquaponics for Home Owners Back Yards, Unused City Property, Building Roof Tops, and Unused Factories or Warehouses
· Perhaps most importantly, aquaponic systems can be started anywhere. So now instead of clearing jungles and forests we can instead focus on our urban centers and begin to think of 75 million small family farms in back yards across America, unused roof tops, and unused factory or warehouse buildings as the farms for our future. While perhaps not suited to growing vast fields of grain, aquaponics can now grow any vegetable and many types of fruit crops, and do it in a way that is even more productive on a square foot basis, even in an urban setting.
· Aquaponics can produce 50,000 pounds of tilapia and 100,000 pounds of vegetables per year in a single acre of space. By contrast, one grass-fed cow requires eight acres of grassland. Another way of looking at it is that over the course of a year, aquaponics will generate about 35,000 pounds of edible flesh per acre, while the grass-fed beef will generate about 75 pounds in the same space.
Back Yard Bail-Out Bill
Americans consume 600 billion pounds of food a year. With 75 million small (less than 500 square feet) greenhouse domes in back yards across America we could produce almost 500 billion pounds of food per year! With the food-service industries included this would contribute almost a trillion dollars towards our GDP annually. Americans consume around 200 billion pounds of fruit and vegetables, and 10 billion pounds of fish per year. We could more than double our domestic fish, fruit, and vegetable production in one year! This would give us food price stability in our markets, food security for our citizens, more nutritionally dense food giving us better health and benefit economies locally, regionally, nationally, and with an increase in exports internationally.
We need a Back Yard Bail-Out Bill! The 75 billion dollar national initial investment (building small aquaponic greenhouses for families in every back yard in America) would give us a trillion dollar national annual return on our original investment. This would create up to a 100 million new small businesses and jobs growing our economy out of recession and give us a solution for paying our way out of national debt. With the extra available taxes we could rebuild our infrastructure, support pensions, and fund Social Security, and Medicaid/Medicare for future generations.
At edensreturn.com we offer a complete aquaponic greenhouse kit that will produce up to 6,500 pounds of organic food annually on less than 500 square feet for under $3,000. The advantage of using our system is you will be able to produce all the aquaponic inputs right at home including electricity if using our off grid package. The average household spends over $6,500 a year on food but with our aquaponic system that could be reduced to zero.
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Others will be fine folk.
