Food Security:
A Global Challenge for Agriculture

At a national meeting of Ag Spectrum associates last winter, Dr. Jerry Bigham of The Ohio State University examined the issue of global food shortages and described why agriculture must be an area of emphasis for densely populated nations experiencing economic growth.

     “The reality is, a country’s food system is really the basis for national security,” Bigham remarked. “There are alternatives to oil, but are no alternatives to food. It’s easy to talk to people in a logical manner when they’re well-fed. When somebody’s hungry, it’s hard to talk politics; it’s hard to talk anything, because they’ve got only one thing in mind.”

     Bigham reported that escalating food prices led to riots in 30 different countries during 2008. Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reveal that food prices worldwide have doubled since 2006. The same group predicts the world’s population will increase from 6.8 billion people in 2010 to 8.9 billion people by 2050.

     Feeding the masses presents a different challenge than it did in generations past. Prior to 1950, more food was produced as more cropland was cleared and developed, Bigham said. Since that time, increases in yield and production have resulted not from more land, but from an increase in energy inputs such as machinery, irrigation, and fertilizer.

     Over the last 60 years, energy use in agriculture has increased almost seven-fold, according to the FAO. Today’s agricultural system relies on specialization and transportation, both which require large volumes of fossil fuel.

     “While the system is economically viable – we’re doing it – you have to ask the question, ‘is it energetically efficient and is it environmentally friendly?’ I think the answer is ‘no,’” he speculated.

     The Green Revolution of the mid-twentieth century, which included the development and widespread production of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties, alleviated for a large part, international apprehension over famine. But Bigham suggested the success has had a downside in public perception.

     “What I wonder is, if the success of the Green Revolution hasn’t created a false sense of security and caused us now to devalue the importance of agriculture globally?” he remarked.

     World production of four cereal grains (rice, wheat, sorghum and corn) has risen steadily each decade since 1960, but when you examine per capita global production of those same grains, only corn is still on the rise. Bigham shared eye-opening population numbers for India and China, home to one-third of the world’s population. India’s projected populace, based on current counts heavily skewed in the age groups of 0 to 14, is expected to increase 31% between 2000 and 2025. In 2008, the International Food Policy Research Institute classified hunger in India’s 17 major states as “serious to extremely alarming.”

     “Folks, this is a train that’s left the station and I don’t think anybody knows where it’s going to go,” Bigham said.

     After energy and population issues, a third challenge to global food security, Bigham said, is the conservation of resources, specifically soil and water. It’s been calculated that soil forms under a hardwood forest in Ohio at a rate of one-fourth an inch every 100 years. The USDA’s “T” value places the maximum tolerable soil loss at 5 tons per acre per year, which is the equivalent of losing four inches of soil every 100 years.

     “Even if we meet the USDA’s target, the rate of erosion is still 16 times greater than the rate of soil formation,” the scientist said.

     Achieving “T” is possible, Bigham said and he cited the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed in Coshocton, Ohio as an example. No-till corn has been grown continuously over the past 17 years and only 1.15 inches of soil runoff was recorded during that span.

     Concluding with encouragement, Bigham said, in his opinion, agriculture must be the underlying basis for economic development in any country. While many Americans take farmers for granted, he contends, “I don’t think you can point to a bigger success story in our country than agriculture.”

     Ag Spectrum Company Technical Director Cliff Ramsier said Dr. Bigham’s assertions point to a need for innovative production methods rooted in basic science. The Maximum Farming System – and its emphasis on reduced tillage and the application of fertilizer only where soil tests show it’s needed – is the type of agricultural system that can allow countries experiencing intense growth to feed their people.

     “Increased production per acre using controlled fertilizer and fuel inputs, while preserving soil and water, is required to keep a growing population calm and sated,” Ramsier said.

     “We have to continue to look at agricultural systems that can produce more food on existing land, using less energy, while protecting the natural resource base,” Bigham agreed. “It’s critical.”