1 Integration of Science & PolicyU. S. President Barack Obama (Democrat) Photo from Wikipedia Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (Republican) Photo from Wikipedia Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden Photo from media.2theadvocate.com LSU Chancellor Michael Martin Photo from media.2theadvocate.com

2 Integration of Science & Policy is not new…G. Evelyn Hutchinson (1903 – 1991) “The most practical lasting benefit science can now offer is to teach man to avoid destruction of his own environment, and how, by understanding himself with true humility and pride, to find ways to avoid injuries that at present he inflicts on himself with such devastating energy.” (1943) See pg. 294 of N. Slack’s biography of Hutchinson – this quote opens Chapter 15. Photo of Hutchinson from Yale Peabody Archives

3 Recommended books "Eat food [nothighly-processed, food-like material]. Not too much. Mostly plants." Images of book jackets from Amazon.com

4 The Omnivore’s DilemmaThe Botany of Desire (2001) The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) In Defense of Food (2008) Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual (2009) Books  Featured in the Movie  Food, Inc. Michael Pollan (b. 1955) Photo from Wiki Media 4

5 The Omnivore’s Dilemma“When you can eat just about anything nature has to offer, deciding what you should eat will inevitably stir anxiety, especially when some of the potential foods on offer are liable to sicken or kill you” (Pollan 2006) The average supermarket stocks ~45,000 items (see Pollan 2006); for each item – should you eat it or not? Image of U. S. Department of Agriculture Food Pyramid from Wiki Media

6 Our modern diet “Industrial agriculture has supplanted a complete reliance on the sun for our calories with… a food chain that draws much of its energy from fossil fuels” i.e., the “industrial food chain” (Pollan 2006) Think about the links in this chain that lead from oil pumped out of the Gulf of Mexico to your dinner table. Photo of combine harvesting corn from 6

7 The corn (and petroleum)-based origin of much of our food is crypticOur modern diet The corn (and petroleum)-based origin of much of our food is cryptic Photos of Chicken McNuggets® (c. 1997) and ice cream (gelato) from Wiki Media 7

8 Record-setting yields through artificial selectionAsk students to identify the 6 most important elements for biomolecules (CHNOPS) and how organisms obtain them. Image of corn (Poaceae: Zea mays) & photo of Friesian-Holstein cow from Wiki Media 8

9 Record-setting yields require heavy inputs of fuel, fertilizers, antibiotics, etc.“When humankind acquired the power to fix N, the basis of soil fertility shifted from a total reliance on energy of the sun to a new reliance on fossil fuel” (Pollan 2006) N Energy from = Ammonia (NH3) Oil Images from Wiki Media 9

10 Record-setting yields require heavy inputs of fuel, fertilizers, antibiotics, etc.“Fertilizer opens the way to monoculture… fixing N allowed the food chain to turn from… biology… [to] industry… humanity began to sip petroleum” “It takes more than a calorie of fossil fuel energy to produce a calorie of food” (Pollan 2006) Photo of corn monoculture from Wiki Media 10

11 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”U.S. farm policy dramatically impacts the environment (e.g., ecosystem services), economics (globally through trade), human health, etc… Batie Green payments and the US Farm Bill: information and policy challenges. Frontiers in Ecol. & the Environ. 7: Farms & ranches are managed by <2% of the U.S. population, yet the lands account for ~50% of total acreage Image of most recent Farm Bill logo from: statistics from Batie (2009) 11

12 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”At least 10 omnibus bills (provisions that amend or modify other existing laws, or that establish new laws) that became acts of Congress since mid-20th century Food, Conservation & Energy Act of 2008 Image of most recent Farm Bill logo from: statistics from Batie (2009) 12

13 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”Conservation Reserve Program – currently legislated by the 2008 Farm Bill; landowners can receive assistance through USDA Forest Service, or USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Image from Wiki Media 13

14 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”Owing to changes in farm bills since ~1950s, “instead of supporting farmers, the government was now subsidizing every bushel of corn a farmer could grow…” In October 2005 it cost ~$2.50 to grow a bushel (8 gallons) of corn in Iowa, but Iowa grain elevators were paying $1.45/bushel; the U.S. government more than made up the difference through direct subsidy payments “This is a system designed to keep production high and prices low” Pollan (2006) Who gains the biggest advantages from the subsidy? The food industry – a particularly powerful “special-interest group” in the U.S.A.! Who especially benefits from this subsidy? Photo from 14

15 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”The glut of surplus corn: floods world markets with cheap corn – contributing to the demise of farmers overseas (thereby increasing poverty) Photo from 15

16 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”The glut of surplus corn: makes Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) economically viable Photo from Wiki Media 16

17 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”The glut of surplus corn: fuels food corporations with cheap material with which to make cheap, unhealthy processed food “We break down [corn]… into… component parts [e.g., high-fructose corn syrup] and then reassemble them into high-value-added food systems” (Pollan 2006) Photos from Wiki Media 17

18 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”The glut of surplus corn: contributes to obesity and diet-related disease (e.g., type II diabetes) “When yields rise, the market is flooded… price collapses… clever marketers… figure out [how]… to induce the human omnivore to consume the surfeit of cheap calories” (Pollan 2006) Photos from Wiki Media 18

19 Case study: U.S. “Farm Bills”The glut of surplus corn: contributes to obesity and diet-related disease (e.g., type II diabetes) “It behooved our hunter-gatherer ancestors to feast whenever the opportunity presented itself, allowing them to build up reserves of fat against future famine… it is the amped-up energy density of processed foods that gets omnivores like us into trouble” (Pollan 2006) Photos from Wiki Media 19

20 Alternatives? Industrial organic is not much different from traditional industrial agriculture Image from 20

21 Alternatives? Local organic Photo from 21

22 Alternatives? Minimal packaging (often associated with minimal processing & minimal travel distance) Vs. Photo of sweet corn from Wiki Media & photo of processed, canned corn from 22

23 Alternatives? Alternative energy for running machinery & mechanical devices Improved energy-use efficiency GMOs to reduce reliance on fertilizers, irrigation & pesticides Darwinian agriculture to improve yields Modified incentive structure to foster diversity of food products Etc. 23