Meats, Feeds & Grains

Abigail Cooke

Overview

• Meat consumption is growing worldwide– Pork and chicken consumption increasing

worldwide– Beef consumption declining in developed

countries, but increasing in developing countries

• Feed and Subsistence Crops compete for land and for consumption calories

• Beef, rice, and cassava illustrate important trade, development and environment linkages

Beef Production

Source: Clay (2004)

Process Outcome

Production intensifying

Individual cow/calf farms

Feedlots

Slaughter houses process

meat (semimechanized)

Favors large-scale production at all stages

Very large ranches, squeezing out small farmers

Uniformity, fast growth, lowering stock quality

Slaughter houses and meatpacking consolidated, squeezing out local butchers

International Beef Trade

• 23% of world production is exported and trade is growing

• Major ExportersBoneless: Australia, US, New Zealand, Ireland

CanadaBone In: Germany, France, US, Netherlands,

Ukraine

• US is a major producer and exporter, but is a net importer

Source: FAO (2002) cited in Clay (2004)

Environmental Consequences

• Increasing pastures on marginal lands leads to deforestation, desertification and biodiversity loss

• Rapid expansion of feedlot production– Increases consumption of cereal harvest (33% of

cereals consumed by animals)– Increases air and water pollution in surrounding areas– Increases risk of disease outbreaks in herds and

humans• Concentration of processing (slaughter,

meatpacking and tanning)– Large amounts of organic waste– Chemical waste

Source: Clay (2004)

Rice Production

• About 11% of the world’s cultivated land grows rice

• Major Producers– India (44.8 million hectares), China (30.3 million

hectares), Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand

• Green revolution technologies greatly increased productivity of irrigated paddies in the 1970s– 55% of the world’s production area is irrigated, but

this produces 75% of the world’s rice

Source: FAO (2002) cited in Clay (2004)

Rice Consumption

• Over 90% of the world’s rice is grown and consumed in Asia

• 50% of the total calories consumed in Asia come from rice; 25% of total calories in the world come from rice

Source: FAO (2002) cited in Clay (2004)

International Rice Trade

• Small compared to local consumption– 4% of world production is exported

• Largest Exporters– Thailand, Vietnam, China, USA, Pakistan, India

• Market dominated by large mills and international companies– Vertical integration – Oriented for urban consumption and export markets

• Overall export amount increased, but value decreased 1961-2000

Source: FAO (2002) cited in Clay (2004)

Environmental Impacts of Rice

• Highest negative impact associated with Green Revolution production – Salinization, pesticide and herbicide overuse,

lowering biodiversity and increasing crop vulnerability

• Extensification and conversion of land for rice paddies limits future land use (likely to grow with increasing population size)

• Large knowledge base indicates existence of environmentally friendly, cost effective, small farmer-friendly production processes

Source: Clay (2004)

Cassava

• Important source of calories for many people in the developing world

• “Miracle crop”– Drought- and pest-resistant and poor-soil tolerant

• Negative effects– Potential to degradation soil through erosion– Can cause thyroid problems– Producers: Nigeria, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, Dem.

Republic of Congo

• 9% of world production is exported

Source: FAO (2002) cited in Clay (2004)

Cassava -Thailand and the EC

Thailand’sShare of World Cassava Exports

1973-1975

82%

1983-1985

93%

1993-1995

81%

1995 75%

1996 79%

1997 83%

1998 80%

EC's share of world cassava imports

1973-75 1983-85 1993-95

1995 1996 1997 1998

88% 77% 70% 63% 60% 56% 59%

Papers

• Damaged Environments and Lives: The Bitter Harvest of Rice Policies in The Gambia

Judith Carney, UCLA

• Feeding Europe, Deforesting ThailandSara Curran and Abigail Cooke, Princeton University

• Globalization of Unsustainable Food-Consumption: Trade Policies, Producer Lobbies and Beef Consumption in North East Asia

Sjur Kasa, University of Oslo

Source: FAO (2002) cited in Clay (2004)

Sources

• Jason Clay. World Agriculture and the Environment. Washington: Island Press 2004.

• FAOStat Data, 2004.

World Meat Consumption

Source: FAO (2005)

Meat Consumption in the World 1961-2002

0

50

100

150

200

250

1961 1967 1973 1979 1985 1991 1997

Cal

/Cap

/Day

Cal/Cap/Day (Number)

Beef Consumption

• World consumption is rising

• Developed nations stable or declining [dates]

• Developing nations driving world increases– Population growth, urbanization, lower real

prices, income growth

Source: FAO (2002) cited in Clay (2004)

Social Considerations

• Health considerations– Heart disease and cancer– Antibiotic resistant bacteria for humans too– Growth hormones– Disease outbreaks

Source: Clay (2004)

Social Considerations of Rice

• External trade conditions and local politics work to keep rice prices very low– Large multinational trading companies can operate on

small margins and still make large profits– Local states and urban centers in developing

countries structure markets to depress rice prices

• Consequently, small rice farmers face adverse economic situations in good and bad economic times

• Environmentally friendly practices would help small farmers survive

Source: Clay (2004)