PRESENTATION ON FOOD

RESOURCES
 INTRODUCTION:
• Food is essential for growth and development of living organisms. These
essential materials are called nutrients and these nutrients are available
from variety of animals and plants. There are thousands of edible plants
and animals over the world, out of which only about three dozen types
constitute major food of humans.
• The majority of people obtain food from cultivated plants and domesticated
animals. Although some food is obtained from oceans and fresh waters,
but the great majority of food for human population is obtained from
traditional land-based agriculture of crops and livestock.
 FOOD CROPS
It is estimated that out of about 2,50,000 species of plants, only about 3,000
have been tried as agricultural crops. Under different agro-climatic condition, 300
are grown for food and only 100 are used on a large scale.

Some species of crops provide food, whereas others provide commercial

products like oils, fibres, etc. Raw crops are sometimes converted into valuable
edible products by using different techniques for value addition .At global level,
only 20 species of crops are used for food. These, in approximate order of
importance are wheat, rice, corn, potatoes; barley, sweet potatoes, cassavas,
soybeans, oats, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, sugar beets, rye, peanuts, field
beans, chick-peas, pigeon- peas, bananas and coconuts. Many of them are used
directly, whereas other can be used by changing them by using different
techniques for enhancing calorific value.
 TYPES OF FOOD RESOURCES
1. The industrialized agriculture: The industrialized agriculture is called high
input agriculture since it uses large amounts commercial fertilizers for field,
the pesticides, fossil fuels and water. The large fields of monoculture (single
crops) are planted and the plants are selectively covered to produce high
productions. Large amounts of grain farmed by this process as well further the
production of large numbers in feedlots of livestock animals.:

2.The traditional agriculture: Is the most widely used form of production of

food, happening mostly in developing nations. This can be classified later as
either traditional intensive agriculture or traditional subsistence and the
differences between the 2 involve the relational amounts of food produced
and resources input. The subsistence agriculture practices only animal and
human labor and only produces enough food for the families of farmer's.
 SUSTAINING PRODUCTION – LIMITING FACTORS

Population and Global food production needs to be doubled by 2050 to meet

demand of estimated 9 billion people and focus will be on
Environment reducing GHG emissions

Water supply crunch Impact of water shortages (by 2020 2/3 of population will be in
water stressed countries)

Climate change and Frequent droughts, floods, temperature extremes and weather
variations in many regions
variability

Energy supply Agriculture – energy l dependent for oil, fertilisers, farming,

storage or transport.
crunch Push to Bio-fuel demand reducing food area
Price rise and Inevitable as a result of shortages and protectionism

volatility
 THE COMPOSITION OF FOOD
RESOURCES IN RECENT SURVEY
 PER CAPITA AVAILABILITY OF FOOD
GRAINS-TRENDS
1.Green revolution I of 1960’s and Hybrid revolution made India
self sufficient in food grains.
2.Between1950-51 and 2006-07 production increased @ 2.5%
compared with population rate of 2.1%
3.During same period , availability of food grains per capita per
person has also increased
But per capita annual availability of food grains has fallen
sharply by 12 % in past 2 decades
182.6kg(1991)
160.4Kg (2007)
This declining trend is threatening food security
 HILL AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION –
IMPEDIMENTS

1. Hill regions did not receive much attention during the era of Green
Revolution due to its varied topography and rain fed conditions.

2. Hilly terrain limiting mechanical farming, irrigation and transportation of

products especially horticulture produce.

3. Mono-cropping season in temperate and high altitude area

4. Distant markets for export outside the state.

5. Non availability of adequate and timely inputs like quality seed, fertilizer
and pesticides
 NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
• Improving water management especially in rainfed areas

• Addressing land degradation with focus on small scale farmers

• Increasing water productivity ( irrigated & plains )

• Sustainable utilization of bioresources

• Enhancing the multi - functionality of agricultural landscapes.

 TISSUE CULTURE MULTIPLIED GINGER
INTERCROPPED IN PEACH ORCHARDSA
 CONCLUSION
 If we fail to feed the present generation due to pre-concieved fears of
frontier technologies then there would probably increased hunger &
under/ malnutrition in future generations. 

 Responsible emerging technologies including biotechnology are not the

enemy but hunger is real enemy that affects around one billion and
starvation that causes million of deaths every year.

 Without adequate food supplies at affordable prices to needy we cannot

expect world health or peace

 Judicial blending of traditional and responsible frontier technologies is

our future