Water & Agriculture

Hannah WiseKSC Dietetic Intern

March 14, 2016

http://youtube.com/v/laJYq_Mfk7Q

ObjectivesLearners will be able to understand the positive and negative environmental

and economic effects of agriculture on United States water sources.

Learners will be able to distinguish between the difference between animal

vs plant agriculture impacts on water.

Learners will be able to understand how American culture influences water

diversion and use for plant and animal agriculture.

Self-disclosure

How thirsty are your favorite foods?

BEEF VS. CHICKEN

TOFU VS. LENTILS

WALNUTS VS. ALMONDS

COFFEE VS. TEA

BEER VS. WINE

THE FACTS

70%Of fresh water is used for agriculture globally

10 billion gallonsDaily U.S. agriculture use

THE BASICS

AGRICULTURAL WATERIrrigation vs. livestock

Diverted from:

Surface water

Rivers, streams

Open canals

Ground water

Rainwater

Helpful definitions● Water withdrawals: The quantity of water withdrawn from a source, such

as a river, aquifer, lake.

● Water consumption: The quantity of water actually consumed for the

crop.

● Aquifer: A body of saturated rock through which water can easily move.

● Water footprint: The amount of water you use in and around your home.

● Water table: The level below which the ground is saturated with water.

GROUND WATER VS. SURFACE WATER

IRRIGATION & AGRICULTUREIRRIGATION: The controlled application of water for agricultural purposes

through man made systems to supply water requirements not satisfied by

rainfall.

THEN● Labor intensive● Farming was focused

on substance● Highly weather

dependent● Inefficient

NOW● Machine intensive● Farming is focused

on selling the output● No longer controlled

by the weather● Efficient

vs

Types of irrigation: Surface irrigation

Types of irrigation: Drip irrigation

Types of irrigation: Center Pivot

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

PLANT VS ANIMAL AGRICULTURE

WATER CONSUMPTIONHalf of all the water used in the United States goes to raising animals for

food

1,800 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of beef

25 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of wheat

Daily water consumption:

Meat eater- 4,000 gallons

Lacto-ovo vegetarian- 1,200 gallons

Vegetarian- 300 gallons

WHY SO MUCH WATER?1. Feed Conversion Ratios (CFR)

Animal’s efficiency to turn its food into body mass (feed: meat ratio)

Beef= 7:1

Pork= 5:1

Poultry= 5:1

2. CAFOs- Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation model

Immense scale- “Food animal” population of over 20 billion

Animal Consumption: FEEDLivestock directly uses

only 1.3% of the total

water used in

agriculture

The 7 billion livestock

animals in the United

States consume 5

times as much grain as

is consumed directly

by the entire American

population

WATER FOOTPRINT: NUTRITIONAL VALUECalories:

BEEF = 20x LARGER

Protein:

BEEF= 6X LARGER

Water consumed per gram of

PROTEIN:

Pulses: 5 gallons/gram

Eggs: 7.7 gallons/gram

Milk: 8.2 gallons/gram

Chicken: 9 gallons/gram

Beef: 29.6 gallons/gram

EXCREMENTAnimals raised for food

produce 130 times as

much excrement as

the entire human

population

Animal farms pollute

waterways more than

all other industrial

sources combined

ENVIRONMENTAL LOSSES

Depleting groundwater supplies

Pollution

Animal waste

Pesticides

Chemicals

Fertilizers

Hormones

Antibiotics

Dead zones

Water irrigation waste

GROUNDWATER DEPLETIONEnvironmental losses:

Lowering the water

table

Reduction of water in

streams and lakes

Land subsidence

WATER POLLUTIONStorage and disposal of animal

waste

Antibiotics and hormones

Fertilizer

Manure

Pesticides

Chemicals

Dead zones in coastal areas

Degradation of coral reefs

Contaminated drinking water

Uninhabitable by aquatic life

Agriculture = #1 cause of water

pollution

WATER POLLUTION: NITROGEN & PHOSPHORUSAnimal agriculture manure is the primary source of nitrogen and phosphorus

to surface and groundwater.

Eutrophication

Methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome)

2050 predictions-76% Nitrogen26% Phosporus

DEAD ZONES: Ocean areas with no oxygenCaused by massive growth

of algae blooms

Algae die, bacteria feed on

them and consume all

the water’s available

oxygen

Kills sea life

Causes millions of dollars

in damage

IRRIGATION WATER WASTEOnly 4% of US farms use drip or precision irrigation, which are more

efficient

Most irrigated farms use 2-3 times more water than their crops need

And waste between 50-80% of irrigation water through leaks, runoff, and evaporation.

ENVIRONMENTAL WINS

Increased awareness

Water saving techniques

Organic farming

ENVIRONMENTAL WINSIncreased water awareness

Water saving techniques

Increase in drip irrigation: 80% savings

Capturing and storing water

Irrigation scheduling

Drought-tolerant crops

Aquaponic systems: 90% savings

PBS podcast

GOING ORGANICRetain soil moisture

Compost increases water

capacity

Reduces water pollution

Preserve large bodies of water

● Retain soil moisture

● Compost increases water

capacity

● Reduces water pollution

● Preserve large bodies of water

ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS

WATER IS A “BULKY” RESOURCE

ECONOMIC LOSSES:Farmer’s

Land subsidence

Water treatments

Dead zones

ECONOMIC LOSSES: SMALL FARMSGroundwater depletion

Increase in water prices

Ex: Ogallala Aquifer,

Nebraska

Increased energy costs

Electrical costs

Increased cost of electricity

to pump surface water

for the production of

ECONOMIC LOSS: LAND SUBSIDENCE

ECONOMIC LOSS: WATER TREATMENTSFederally: $2.2

billion annually

State: Minnesota,

$4 per 1000

gallons

ECONOMIC LOSS: DEAD ZONESGulf of Mexico

$82 million lost a year in

tourism and seafood

Commercial fishing and shellfish:

10 billion

Tourism total: $1 billion annually

Real estate: -25%

ECONOMIC WIN: Consumer

Big Ag

Water-saving techniques

ECONOMIC WIN: BIG AG & CONSUMERSIncreased production

with decreased

labor

$1.2 trillion to the US

GDP

Supports 24 million

jobs

Cheap food

2024

ECONOMIC PREDICTIONSGlobally: middle class increase from 1.8 to 4.8 billion by 2030

= more meat consumption

= more energy

= more water intensive agriculture focusing on the raising of

livestock and feed grain

HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS

AVERAGE AMERICAN DIETAmerican’s consume an average of 198 pounds of meat per year (3x the global

average)

198 x 2,400 gallons per lb = 465,600 gallons a year

1,000 gallons of water per day to produce the average american diet More water than diet, home use, industry for the

average global home

HEALTH LOSSESAlgae blooms

Obesity

Disease

HEALTH LOSSES: OBESITY AND DISEASEAmerican diet increases the risk of: Heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer

HEALTH LOSSES: ALGAE BLOOMSPhosphorus from farms

washes into creeks,

streams, rivers, and lakes

Phosphorus mixes with

algae and forms a toxin

called microcystin

Causes skin rashes, muscle

cramps, twitching,

nausea, vomiting

HEALTH WINSMore food

Affordability

Trend towards decrease in

meat consumption

HEALTH WINS: MORE FOODIncreased amount of food for a rapidly growing population

Able to feed more people for cheaper

Increase mobility of food

Decrease in meat consumption since 2012

Larger variety

Improved quality of life and living standards

DECREASE IN MEAT CONSUMPTION

CONCLUSIONS Environment

Losses:- Pollution

- Dead zones

- Waste

Wins:

- Increased

awareness

- Organic farming

Economics

Losses:

- Small farms

- Land subsidence

- Water treatments

Wins:

- Consumer

- Big Ag

Health

Losses:

- Disease & obesity

- Algae blooms

Wins:

- More food

- Affordability

- Decrease in meat

consumption

FUTURE PREDICTIONSGlobal population will grow from 7 billion to 9 billion

Global food production will need to increase- 70%

Water increase that will be needed for agriculture- 25%

The average water supply per person will drop by ⅓ in the next two

decades

Global meat trade is projected to rise by more than 50% over the

next 25 years

Largest future challenge: How can agriculture produce more with fewer resources and drastically reduce its

environmental impact?

REFERENCEShttp://www.seametrics.com/blog/farm-water-infographic/

EPA: https://www.epa.gov/nutrient-policy-data/estimated-animal-agriculture-nitrogen-and-

phosphorus-manure

Onegreenplanet.org

ewg.org

Waterfootprint.org

http://www.sustainabletable.org/265/environment

http://assets.panda.org/img/original/waterusebysector.jpg

http://www.cuesa.org/article/10-ways-farmers-are-saving-water

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/aquaponic-farming-saves-water-can-feed-country/

Earth Policy Institute