“Toward” a Sustainable World: Perceptions

and Challenges for Animal Agriculture

Norman R. Scott

Department of Biological & Environmental Engineering

Cornell University

nrs5@cornell.edu

International Symposium on Health Environment and Animal Welfare

Rongchang, China

October 20-21, 2013

DISCUSSION

Sustainability and Why

Converging Technologies

Sustainable Communities

Perceptions of Animal Agriculture

Challenges facing Animal Agriculture

Future technological possibilities

A Way Forward

Concluding remarks

World is in Transition

More people (9 B by 2015)- Food Security

Greater Consumption of Materials & Resources

Need to Reduce Poverty without Destroying the Environment

Energy availability, security and cost

Climate change

Water scarcity and quality

Sustainable development

“Sustainability”- Principal Concept to Integrate

Technological Economic Social Political Issues To address environmental

protection, economic development & equity (3 e’s)

Sustainable Development

“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability

of future generations to meet their own needs.”

WCED, Our Common Future, 1987

Sustainable Development

“Sustainable development is a process of change in which the direction of investment, the orientation of technology, the allocation of resources, and the development and functioning of institutions and advancment of human and community well-being meets present needs and aspirations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and aspirations.

Adapted from Roy Weston

Many agricultural practices have unintended consequences

water quality,

greenhouse-gas emissions (GHG),

degraded soil quality,

loss of biodiversity and

animal welfare

Sustainability of agriculture has been much discussed and was addressed in the NRC Report (2010) by the Board on Agriculture & Natural Resources (BANR)

What is BANR?

The Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR) is the major program unit of the National Research Council (NRC) responsible for organizing and overseeing studies on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and the use of land, water, and other natural resources.

http://dels.nas.edu/banr

Sustainable Agriculture (2010)

Four goals to define sustainable agriculture

Satisfy human food, feed, and fiber needs, and contribute to biofuels needs.

Enhance environmental quality and the resource base.

Sustain the economic viability of agriculture.

Enhance the quality of life for farmers, farm workers, and society as a whole.

Concept of converging technologies in agriculture, food and natural resources

Challenges or threats of further population growth (9 B in 2050),

Increasing hunger,

Increasing water shortages, and

climate volatility

Can only be met by an enhanced integration of technologies encompassing a broad synergistic application of elements of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information science and cognitive science

Converging Technologies

Nanotechnology

Information

Science

Biotechnology

Cognitive

Science

Agriculture,

Food &

Natural Resources

“Little” BANG Technologies

(convergence of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science - termed NBIC by NSF)

Bits for information science Atoms for nanotechnology

Neurons for cognitive science

Genes for biotechnology

Population and economic growth will lead to

increased adverse societal and environmental impacts, unless patterns of production and consumption can be changed

A shift to clean and efficient technologies and a change to more sustainable life styles as well as the use of low impact products, is embodied in development of sustainable Communities

Why Sustainable Communities?

Sustainable Communities

Live, Work & Play

What are the

characteristics of a

sustainable community?

Ideally a sustainable community will embody characteristics of:

o renewable energy, o high level of energy conservation, o materials recycling, o close proximity for live-work-play environment, o local “smart” grid, o minimum GHG emissions, o minimum carbon footprint o “healthy” green buildings

“Toward” a Sustainable Community

o efficient water and waste management, o urban design which is efficient and convenient, o significant food production, o “green” spaces, including biking & walking trails, o local business development, o community governance, o good communications (including Internet

connections), o community center(s), o educational & recreational opportunities, and o diverse living environment (intergenerational, affordable

housing, senior housing, assisted living)

“Toward” a Sustainable Community

How to connect Sustainability and Animal Agriculture?

Acknowledge perceptions

Acknowledge challenges

Create a new dynamic

Perceptions Animal Agriculture

Inefficient conversion of potentially human-edible foods, largely cereal grains

Bioenvironmental degradation through overgrazing or pollution of surface and ground water

Adverse effects on human health from saturated fats and cholesterol in meats, dairy products and eggs

Inefficient use of water and energy

Animal welfare concerns

Overuse of antimicrobials unecessarily

Challenges for Animal Agriculture (largely nontechnical)

Address challenges of potential increased oversight on

confinement (example of agreement between EPA and Iowa)

Challenges over use of antimicrobials and concerns about antimicrobial resistance (relation to humans)

Environmental effects on water and air pollution

Concerns about food safety

Labeling of foods?

Structure of agriculture (ownership and control issues)

Who benefits? Poor are often seen as most vulnerable.

Consolidation of corporate power seen to marginalize farmers’ rights.

Challenges for Animal Agriculture (nontechnical)- continued

Food is socially very sensitive,

Lack of/or increasing regulations? Standards?

Traceability

Global land rush

Public engagement is typically a “reactive engagement” rather than an inclusive and participatory one

New advancements in alternative ways of producing foods (i.e. meat grown from stem cells, 3-D printing of foods, etc.)

Animal Health Monitoring and Management (potential application of nanoscale science and engineering)

Applications of developmental biology for breeding, Detection processes to sense presence of residues, antibiotics,

pathogens, toxins, etc., Process for early, even, pre-disease detection, rapid diagnosis,

and prevention of diseases An integrated health monitoring process including therapeutic

intervention as necessary, A process for identity tracking of animals from birth to the

consumer’s plate, New technologies such as nutrigenomics which will influence or

control genetic expression, Major nutritional platforms which will alter food products (milk

and meat) with healthful human benefits, Approaches to lessen greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from

livestock, and Application of manure management processes to reduce GHG

and produce renewable energy as distributed generators of electricity and heat.

A vision for the foreseeable future

Holistic analyses across the areas of:

food quality and safety,

animal health monitoring and management,

plant systems,

environmental management, and

social / ethical issues

recognizing these subsystems of the whole agriculture, food and natural resources system.

Benefits from Animal Agriculture

High nutrient density and nutritional quality Conversion of plant materials from non-arable

land, crop residues and food-processing by-products & some waste products

Fibers, leathers, pharmaceuticals, etc. Manures as sources of organic plant nutrients &

bioenergy Draught power for cultivation & transportation

in developing countries Provide a means of savings, and a food reserve in

cases of non-monetary economy Contribute to flexibility and stability of food

systems

Important Progress for Sustainability

Dairy industry has adopted goals for sustainability (Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy – framework for a science-based tool for dairy producers and processors) – indicators of energy use, water use, GHG emissions, working conditions, animal care and impacts on local economy.

Egg industry likewise

Beef industry beginning

Global Salmon Initiative (15 leading farmed salmon producers-70% of farmed production)

Dairyville 2020 Diagram

27

Vision for Agricultural Community Development

Goals for Our Agricultural System

Satisfy human food, feed, and fiber needs, and contribute to biofuels needs.

Enhance environmental quality and the resource base.

Sustain the economic viability of agriculture.

Enhance the quality of life for farmers, farm workers, and society as a whole.

Reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty world-wide.

Concluding Remarks

Freeze agriculture’s carbon footprint by slowing agricultural land expansion, in particular, loss of tropical forests.

Reduce yield (production) gaps between existing growth (production) levels and the genetic potential for both plants and animals.

Improve efficiencies of agriculture and natural resources (more output/input resource)

Reduce “diet” gaps, changing the mix of food products to enhance food availability and reduce environmental impacts.

Reduce food wastes at every level in the agriculture and food system.

Integrate agriculture and food systems into sustainable community thinking, possible via opportunities for renewable, distributed energy generation, including possibly “vertical” farms in the urban area.

Systems make it possible,

but people make it happen.

Christensen