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NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
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The Daily Herald

Special Edition, December 14

Study Forecasts Future Food Shortage

A new study published in the Journal of World Agriculture raises concerns that in the future there will
not be enough food for the world’s growing population. The study was carried out by an international
group of scientists with support from the Earth Food Bank. According to the study, the population of
the world is increasing by about 80 million people each year.

To feed the growing population, crop yields will need to increase significantly. The researchers listed
many factors that limit food production but singled out two for special consideration. First, the
amount of freshwater available for farming is projected to limit food production. Second, higher
temperatures around the world are already causing large losses in grain yields among the world’s
major producers. The study concluded by recommending that the Earth Food Bank sponsor a
program dedicated to setting priorities and establishing policies that will enable all of the world’s
people to be fed.

The Daily Herald

Morning Edition, March 17

Earth Food Bank to Hold Meeting on Food Production

In response to a recent international study on population and food production, the secretary general
of the Earth Food Bank has announced that it will sponsor a series of two-week-long conferences
next summer to address world hunger. Attendees at each conference will discuss a different aspect of
the problem and make recommendations for meeting the world’s food needs. According to the study,
the four major aspects of the problem are

• reducing carbon emissions that contribute to increasing Earth’s temperature,

• stabilizing population growth,
• making better use of our water resources, and
• increasing the crop yields on farms.

An international group of experts will attend each conference. The experts will submit a report to the
secretary general that describes their recommendations. Scientists from Humanity Against Hunger
will organize the conference on increasing crop yields. These scientists have experience applying
modern agricultural practices in developing countries.
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POPULATION AND LAND USE

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GRAPHS

World Population Growth

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2013). World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision,
Volume I: Comprehensive Tables ST/ESA/SER.A/336. http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2014). FAOSTAT. http://faostat3.fao.org/faostat-gateway/go/to/home/E
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thinking about fertilizers

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Farmers may choose to use conventional farming practices or organic ones. In reality, the choices
facing farmers are much more complex than using this or that production system. Many farmers
use elements of both approaches. Additionally, a comparison of conventional farming and organic
farming is not the same thing as a comparison of organic nutrient sources and inorganic nutrient
sources. Organic farming tends to minimize or eliminate the use of synthetic inputs while maximizing
the use of natural resources. The descriptions below refer to organic and commercial nutrient
sources, not to organic and conventional farming.

Organic fertilizers usually contain little or no synthetic materials. They encourage the use of
local natural resources. For example, animal manure (that would otherwise have to be disposed of)
is often used to fertilize crop plants. Organic fertilizers usually contain some nutrients that dissolve
in water, but most of the nutrients are released slowly as microbes in the soil break down the organic
material into forms that the plant roots can absorb. Organic fertilizers contain relatively low and
unpredictable amounts of nutrients as compared with commercial fertilizers. The lower amounts
of nutrients in organic fertilizers mean that farmers may need to use larger amounts of organic
fertilizers in order to meet the needs of the crops. The balance of nutrients in organic fertilizer is
often not what the crops need. This can mean that in order to supply the needed amount of nitrogen,
for example, the fertilizer may also supply too much of another nutrient such as phosphorus. On the
other hand, the lower nutrient amounts in organic fertilizers may make it less likely that crop plants
will be damaged through exposure to excessive amounts of nutrients. Although organic fertilizers can
be less expensive than commercial fertilizers, the use of organic fertilizers may produce lower crop
yields. More land may be required to grow plants used as fertilizer (green manure) or to raise the
livestock that produce the animal manure.

Commercial fertilizers are produced through industrial processes. Commercial fertilizer is

natural in the sense that its components come from natural mineral deposits or, in the case of
nitrogen, from the air. These fertilizers contain nutrients in forms that crop plants can use. The
amounts of each nutrient contained in commercial fertilizers are known precisely. This means that
farmers know the exact amounts of nutrients applied to plants. A bag of commercial fertilizer is
labeled with three numbers that describe the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that
it contains. For example, a bag labeled 15-5-10 contains 15 percent nitrogen, 5 percent phosphorus,
and 10 percent potassium. In general, commercial fertilizers allow the farmer more control over plant
nutrition than organic fertilizers because the amounts of nutrients in commercial fertilizers are
precisely known and they are released in a more predictable way. Overuse of commercial fertilizers is
more likely to occur as compared to overuse of organic fertilizers. No matter what type of fertilizers
farmers use, they need to follow best management practices in order to raise healthy crops while, at
the same time, protecting the environment.
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NUTRITION POLLUTION
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When we think of environmental pollution, we think of chemicals from industry and car exhaust
fouling our air and water. Although nutrients occur naturally, they, too, can be a source of pollution.
You should recall that either too little or too much of a nutrient can harm a plant or animal. A
similar situation exists with regard to our environment. Excessive amounts of nutrients in our
waterways are bad for the environment because they can lead to explosive growth of aquatic
organisms such as phytoplankton, algae and bacteria. This rapid growth reduces the amount of
sunlight available to other plants and animals. Furthermore, the metabolism of these organisms
uses up the available oxygen and can cause fish and other animals to suffocate.

Nonpoint source pollution refers to polluted runoff water. When water from any source such as rain
or irrigation for crops washes over land, it picks up contaminants that may include nutrients. These
contaminants find their way into waterways either directly or through storm drains. So-called point
sources of pollution come from a specific source such as a factory or waste-treatment plant.

In urban areas, such point sources are often the main contributors to nutrient pollution. Urban areas
also are affected by nonpoint source pollution. For example, the burning of fossil fuels by cars and
industry releases nitrogen compounds into the air. These compounds fall to the surface with rain and
contribute to nutrient pollution.

As suburban areas have grown, they have moved beyond the reach of city sewer systems. Homes
in many areas use septic systems that release nutrients from wastewater into the ground. Farmers
also contribute to the problem. Overuse of fertilizers sends excess nutrients into the environment.
Today, the largest source of nutrient pollution from agriculture is nitrogen from animal wastes that
leaks into surface waters.

Antipollution laws are helping reduce nutrient pollution from point sources such as factories.
Nonpoint sources represent the largest pollution threat to our waters, but they are difficult to
identify and control. Can you think of ways to limit nutrient pollution from nonpoint sources?