Download - Feed the land to feed the people
Feed the Land
to
Feed the People
Terence Westgate
2015
THE PROBLEM
WORLD FOOD SUPPLIES ARE IN DANGER
2014 – population 7 billion
850 million face hunger, disease, starvation
WHY?
OVER-POPULATION
WARS
ECONOMIC INBALANCES
POLITICS & CORRUPTION
LAND GRABBING
WATER MISMANAGEMENT
AND
TOPSOIL IS DISAPPEARING
FROM CROPLANDS
TOPSOIL IS VITAL TO PLANT LIFE
Topsoil Contains HUMUS – organic matter
Water retentive
Provides root support
Contains minerals
Contains mycorrhizae
Vulnerable to erosion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil#Organisms
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza
Every year an estimated 18 billion tons of food productive topsoil is lost to soil erosion*
* Soil Erosion: a Food and Environmental Threat, Pimentel D, Cornell University, 2005
TOPSOIL ERODESSoil erosion reduces cropland productivity and contributes to the pollution of adjacent watercourses, wetlands and lakes.
FOOD PRODUCTION IS LOST
FOOD SECURITY IS THREATENED
CHILDREN STARVE
CROPLANDS TURN TO DESERT
The UN Convention on Contra Desertification defines "desertification" as the "degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities."
DESERTS ARE GROWING
WHAT TO DO?
PROTECT & REBUILD THE SOIL
Drain Shelter Restore
Humus, which ranges in colour from brown to black consists of about 60% carbon, 6% nitrogen, and smaller amounts of phosphorous and sulphur. As humus decomposes, its components are changed into forms usable by plants.
Definition by Encyclopaedia Brittanica
FEED THE SOIL WITH HUMUS
CITY MAYORS HOLD THE KEY TO
RESTORING CROPLAND
MAYORS MANAGE CITY WASTE
MAKE HUMUS FROM WASTE
SORT
‘Hard’ Recycling
Plastic
Glass`
Metal
Paper
‘Soft’ Recycling
Cardboard
Paper
Organic waste
Green waste
Shred
Mix
Analyse
Remix
Process
WESTGATE Accelerated
Aerobic Composting
Cure
NPK HUMUS
INPUT
Introduce Mycorrhizae
LIVE TOPSOIL
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
OUTPUT
MAKE HUMUS FROM WASTE
WHERE DO THEY MAKE HUMUS FROM
WASTE NOW?
Munich Barcelona
HUMUS FROM WASTE
London Uganda
HUMUS FROM ORGANIC WASTE
HOW?
Discarded food is the perfect ingredient.
HUMUS FROM WASTE
The waste of a staggering 1,3 billion tons of food per year is not only causing major economic losses but also wreaking significant harm on the natural environment
www.africagreenmedia.co.za
Trimmings from trees and hedges - green waste balance the carbon/nitrogen ratio
HUMUS FROM WASTE
The materials are shreddedHUMUS FROM WASTE
Compost self heats and kills pathogenic organisms
Temperatures are monitored regularly
HUMUS FROM WASTE
Compost is turned regularly to:
Prevent over-heating
Provide oxygen for the bacteria
Water may be added to sustain the composting bacteria
HUMUS FROM WASTE
Over a matter of just weeks, humus is formed rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium
HUMUS FROM WASTE
INTRODUCE MYCORRHIZAE
Mycorrhizal fungi occur naturally in the soil. When they colonize the plant's root system, they create a network that increases the plant's capacity to absorb more water and nutrients such as phosphorus, copper and zinc. This process enhances growth and development of roots and plants.
REBUILD ERODED SOIL
RESTORE CROPLAND
HARVEST THE CROPS
FEED THE PEOPLE
SUSTAIN AGRICULTURAL
SOIL
Drain
Protect from wind and rain
Irrigate
Replenish with humus
Rotate crops
SUSTAIN AGRICULTURAL SOIL
GAIN THE REWARDS
Increased crop yields
Increased revenues
Higher land values
Healthier environment
Increase food security
GAIN THE REWARDS
HOW CAN I HELP?
Terence Westgate is a consultant specialising in converting waste to productive soil
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.terencewestgate.com
I deliver:
Cost-benefit analysis
Project planning
Equipment procurement
Training
Finance
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, (2011) Toward sustainable municipal organic waste management in South Asia: A guidebook for policy makers and practitioners, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
BROWN L R, (1995) Who will feed China? Wake up call for a small planet, Worldwatch Institute; W. W. Norton & Co.
BROWN L R, (1997) The Agricultural Link: How Environmental Deterioration Could Disrupt Economic Progress, Worldwatch Paper 136, Worldwatch Institute, 776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036
ENVIRONMENT QUALITY AUTHORITY (2012) The National Strategy, Action Programme and Integrated Financing Strategy to Combat Desertification in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Food and Agricultural Organisation UN, (2009) How to Feed the World in 2050 FAO Forum Rome 2009, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
FAO, (2009 – Oct) Global agriculture towards 2050 High Level Expert Forum - How to Feed the World in 2050, Office of the Director, Agricultural Development Economics Division Economic and Social Development Department, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
FAO, (2013) Feeding the World Part 3 Statistical Yearbook of the Food and Agricultural Organisation for the United Nations
REFERENCES
FOX T, ( 2012) Global Food, Waste Not Want Not, Institute of Mechanical Engineers, 1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London SW1 UK
HOORNWEG, D., BHADA -TATA, P., (2012) WHAT A WASTE - A Global Review of Solid Waste Management, The World Bank
NELLEMANN C et al (2009) The environmental food crisis – The environment’s role in averting future food crises. United Nations Environment Programme, GRID-Arendal,
OECD/FAO (2011), OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2011-2020, OECD Publishing and FAO
PIMENTEL D. et al (1997) Water Resources: Agriculture, the Environment, and Society, BioScience, Vol. 47, No. 2, (Feb., 1997), pp. 97-106 Published by: American Institute of Biological Sciences
PIMENTEL D. et al (1999) Will Limits of the Earth’s Resources Control Human Numbers? College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithica, NY
PIMENTEL D., PIMENTEL M., (2003) Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment, American Journal for Clinical Nutrition 2003;78(suppl):660S–3S. American Society for Clinical Nutrition
REFERENCES Cont’d
PIMENTEL D, WILSON A, (2004) Population and its Discontents, Worldwatch Institute, 776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036
PIMENTEL, D. (2006) Soil Erosion: A Food and Environmental Threat, Environment, Development and Sustainability, 8: 119-137, Springer
WISE T. A., (2013) Can We Feed the World in 2050? A Scoping Paper to Assess the Evidence, Global Development and Environment Institute, Working Paper No. 13-04, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155, USA
WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (2012) World health statistics 2012, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
REFERENCES Cont’d
THE END
…. or a new beginning?
HONCSchematics
T Westgate 2014
SCHEMATICS OF THE BIOLOGICAL AND FINANCIAL PROCESSES IN SUSTAINABLE
FOOD PRODUCTION
Terence Westgate 2014
BIOLOGICAL CYCLE SCHEMATIC – CURRENT METHODS
Crop growth & harvest
Water
Crop processing
Food processing
Food Consumption
Sewage Loss OM NPK
Water
Waste Loss OM NPK
Waste Trimmings
Loss OM NPKSoil Erosion
Loss OM NPK
Water & NPK Usage
NPK
INPUTS
Sunlight
Unused food waste Loss OM
NPK
Food W/Sale Retail
Note: OM = Organic Matter NPK = Nitrogen, Potassium Phosphorous
FOOD CYCLE SCHEMATIC – CURRENT METHODS
Crop growth & harvest
Water Cost $
Crop processing
Food processing
Food Consumption
Sewage Cost $
Cost $* Waste Trimmings
* Cost of disposal and loss of organic matter + NPK
Soil ErosionLoss
Water NPK Loss
NPK Cost $
INPUTS
Sunlight
Cost $* Uneaten food
Cost $ * Waste Trimmings
FOOD CYCLE SCHEMATIC – CURRENT METHODS
Crop growth & harvest
Water Cost $
Crop processing
Food processing
Food Consumption
Sewage Cost $
Cost $* Waste Trimmings
Money paid by consumers to retailers
Soil ErosionLoss
Water NPK Loss
NPK Cost $
INPUTS
Sunlight
Cost $* Uneaten food
Cost $ * Waste Trimmings
Cost $* Unsold food
FOOD CYCLE SCHEMATIC - CIRCULAR
Crop growth & harvest
Water
Crop processing
Food processing
Food Consumption
Sewage
WasteWaste Trimmings
Water Loss
Sunlight
Waste
COMPOSTING PROCESS
HUMUSINPUTS
RECYCLED WATER
FOOD CYCLE SCHEMATIC - RESPONSIBILITIES
Crop growth & harvest
Water
Crop processing
Food processing
Food Consumption
Sewage
WasteWaste Trimmings
WaterEvaporation
Loss
Sunlight
Waste
COMPOSTING PROCESS
HUMUSINPUTS
RECYCLED WATER
LA
LA = Local Authority
LA
LA
LALA
FARMS