5.

2 Terrestrial food production

systems and food choices
4. Food production systems
Food production as a system...
In your exams you may be asked to construct a simple diagram to
show inputs outputs and storages of terrestrial food production
systems. Below are two examples (from the ESS book)

Image from ESS – Andrew Davis and Garret Magle

 Food production as a system
• Inputs – fertilisers, water, pest control, labour, seed etc.
• Outputs – food quality, yield, pollutants, transport, processing, packaging
etc.
• System characteristics – diversity, sustainability etc.
• Environmental impacts – pollution, habitat/biodiversity loss, soil
erosion/degradation, desertification, disease etc.
• Socio-economic factors – Subsistence/commercial, traditional?,
local/export, quality/quantity

Some examples:
• Intensive beef production in South American vs. Extensive beef
production by Masai tribe in Africa.
• Cereal farming in North America vs. subsistence farming in SE Asia
• Or more local? You could look at high intensity milk farming in the
UK and organic milk production?
Example - Intensive Cereal Production -
Corn in Iowa, USA
Inputs to the system are:
• Genetically modified seed (probably
BT-Maize) which allows, theoretically,
for lower amounts of insecticide to be
used.
• Inorganic fertiliser - in this case Liquid
ammonia
• Solar energy and rainfall - iowa is
humid and so less irrigation needed
• Farm machinery which use oil for
ploughing, seed planting, insecticide
and fertiliser spraying and harvesting
• Oil powered transport to take crop of
maize to storage and processing plants
Outputs of the system include:
• Corn/maize - used for animal feed and
processed to make modified corn
starch used in processed foods
• Greenhouse gases
• Loss of topsoil due to leaving the soil
bare for long periods of time
• Run-off containing water enriched
with nitrates/phosphates - contributes
to eutrophication
• Run-off containing insecticides - leads
to loss of biodiversity in invertebrates
and knock on effects on food chain
• Pollen rich in BT toxin which can lead
to loss in biodiversity
 Comparing intensive vs subsistence
Intensive agriculture
High yield
High dependence on technology
High level of mechanization
Cash crops
High use of synthetic fertilizers and
pesticides (leads to pollution of
watercourse)
High rate of soil and nutrient degradation
Subsistence agriculture
Low yield
Little technology
Use of manual labor
Food grown to feed family
Dependence on organic fertilizer available
Lower rate of soil degradation but lack of
technology to ameliorate effects
Comparing pastoral, arable and mixed farming

Pastoral Farming Arable Farming Mixed Farming

Animals raised on grass Crops grown on good soil Crops and animals
and land not suitable for to eat directly or feed
crops animals
Animal waste used to
fertilize corps
Crops used to feed animals
 Comparing food production systems
Borneo Rice Production California Rice Production
• Traditional Extensive • Intensive farming
• low inputs of energy and • High inputs of energy and
chemicals chemicals
• Labor intensive • Energy inputs – petrol
• Low productivity • High productivity
• High energy efficiency • Large amounts of
• No fertilizers/chemicals fertilizers/chemicals
• Low energy efficiency
• GMOs possible
Aquatic vs Terrestrial
• Terrestrial is a moreefficient use of solar
st nd
energy (1 /2 trophic level)
• Less solar energy reaches aquatic systems
(reflection and absorption by water)
• Aquatic often higher trophic level (4+)

• Aquatic systems more efficient in terms of

passing energy along food chain
• More skeletal waste in terrestrial (terrestrial
animals need more substantial bones to
support themselves on land)
Food Production Systems Case
Studies