ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IS BEST SERVED IF ALL PEOPLE

WOULD BECOME VEGETARIANS.

My opinion, which did not agree with this subject matter has remained unchanged.
Environmental sustainability seeks to promote the continuous production of goods and
services offered by our natural environment in order to sustain life on our planet for the
benefit of current and future generations. Thus, the ability of renewable resources to be used
and replenished naturally should be balanced. Renewable resources include solar energy,
water, soil, biomass (plants) and animals whilst non-renewable resources include fossil fuels
(coal, oil and natural gas), gold, bauxite and phosphate.

In the quest for countries to become industrialised, there has been the rapid depletion of
natural resources through over exploitation. Agriculture, mining and other anthropogenic
activities have for many decades had negative consequences on the environment. These
activities have resulted in the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, harmful
chemicals and excess minerals as well as the insanitary discharge of sewages into water
bodies without proper prior treatment. These have affected many natural cycles by either
slowing them down or increasing their rates. Erratic rainfall, long droughts, increasing sea
levels and global warming have become realities as a result of these activities. The exchange
of organic and inorganic matter in the soil (nutrient cycling) has also been affected
negatively. Land use change has negatively affected forest cover as forests and its resources
are being depleted and degraded in the name of food production, timber, game and so on for
the benefit of man.

The subject statement is implying that for us to enjoy the perpetual benefits of a well-
functioning environment, our focus must be on crop production only. I believe that our focus
should be on producing food (crops and animals) in way so as to prevent or reduce pollution,
resource depletion and manage our lands so as to gain optimum value over the long term.

Soil fertility is the main factor that affects crop productivity but with animal production, a
combination of breed, management practices, feed quality and the provision of optimal living
conditions for the animals are the limiting factors. It is important to practice sustainable
intensification so as to ensure that optimum benefits are reaped per unit area of land having in
mind environmental protection.

In linking feed and animal production, it is important to take into account feed conversion
ratios as livestock production is responsible for about one third of the cereals consumed

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world-wide. The current practice is that quality grains are fed to the livestock but
alternatively, feeding the livestock with by-products obtained after processing increases
efficiency along the food chain and this affects food-feed competition in a positive way.
More people can be fed with cereals, livestock will be fed with the by-products and minerals
returned to the land via fertilizer (organic) application. With this, we can have both crops and
livestock being produced efficiently in a sustainable manner.

In Africa sustainable intensification looks at yield per unit area of land whist that of Europe is
fertilizer productivity. In Africa, one major limiting factor is soil fertility. Farmers must
invest in fertilizers so as to improve yields. In Europe on the other hand, the main focus is
limiting the effects of agricultural activities on the environment. Yield gap analysis of regions
in Ghana for example, shows that there is the potential for yields to be increased through
enriching the soils through fertilisation and irrigation as agriculture in Ghana is mostly
dependent on the rains. In improving soil fertility, it is important to determine the lacking
nutrients in the soil through soil tests so as to effectively apply fertilizers efficiently.
Phosphorous, a macro nutrient derived from phosphate rocks is mined and termed as a finite
resource. The soil particles adsorps phosphorous whilst the excess is lost through soil runoff.
This in turn ends up in water bodies and eventually, leads to eutrophication. Coupled with
these issues will also be an adaptation to climate change which is the use of drought and
disease resistant varieties of crops. With this information there is the potential of increasing
yields without necessarily increasing the area of land used for food production.

The decision to produce crops, animals or a combination of both solely relies on a blend
economic, environmental and cultural factors and this is dependent of the region one finds
himself. A detailed analysis of a system using a life cycle assessment which will be based on
defined objectives can be used in determining the carbon footprint of a process or product.
Eg, pork production. It is estimated that feed production accounts for 67% of carbon
emissions compared to 33% of carbon produced in animal production. A life cycle
assessment will create an understanding about the environmental impact by pointing out to
areas that need improvement (hotspots) to enable alternatives to be sought for current
practises.

Demand for animal products will increase We cannot live without animals as for example
pork prodeuces many produts planst cannot provide. Leather. The solutyion will be the need
to find sustainable ways of producing both plants and animals and innovative ways of
caturing released carbon. Clean development mechanisms, increased forest cover (carbon

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sink), providing incentives to farmers that produce in an environmentally friendly way.
Collaborative efforts of governments and agencies