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: terencewestgate@gmail.com

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