Crop Production and Land Use

• Crop production uses less land than livestock production but supplies more calories and protein.

Global Context: Crop Production and Land Use

• Foreign crops consist of 68.7% of national food supplies globally.
• 69.3% of crops grown are foreign.
• Of the earth's surface, 29% is land, and 71% is habitable.
• Agriculture comprises 50% of habitable land use, while forests consist of 37%.
• Plant-based foods account for 82% of the global calorie supply and 63% of the global protein supply with 18% coming from livestock and dairy.
• Global crop production expansion is predicted to increase by 384 Mt for cereals, 84 Mt for oilseeds, 41 Mt for roots/tubers, 19 Mt for pulses, and 3 Mt for cotton.
• There is an expected 15% increase in demand.
• A study of 177 countries traced 151 crops and determined that all countries are heavily reliant on foreign plants.
• No country's diet consists entirely of native crops.
• Edible plants were domesticated in 23 primary diversity regions.

Food Biodiversity

• Flowering plants make up 94% of the 369,000 total plant species.
• Only 2.8% (7,000) are classified as agricultural or horticultural.
• 2,500 species are cultivated.
• Less than 100 species are considered important food crops.
• 80% of food derived from plants comes from 17 plant families.
• 15 crops provide 90% of the world's food energy intake.
• Rice, maize, and wheat contribute 60% of global food energy intake.
• Maize is the 8th most traded commodity.
• Maize originated in Mesoamerica with Teosinte direct domestication of Mexican annual.
• Rice mostly cultivated in temperate regions (50N) and dry tropical climates (30S).
• Rice is believed to have been first domesticated in the Yangtze River valley in China based on archeological evidence.
• Wheat is the 9th most traded commodity.
• Wheat originated in Southeast Turkey.
• Einkorn (T.monococcum) is the called and described as diploid, containing 2 sets of chromosomes.
• Banana originated in the Kuk Valley of New Guinea dating back to 18,000 BC.
• Musa species bananas are native to Indo-Malesian, Asian, and Australian tropics.

Demand Driven Food Supply

• Increased demand depends on factors like population, demographics, income, urbanization, preferences, and health.
• Per-capita consumption of staple foods is expected to stagnate/be saturated for most of the world's population.
• A small percentage of crop species compared with overall plant biodiversity are consumed for food.
• 60% of calorie intake comes from rice, corn, and wheat.
• Majority of food consumed/produced by all countries are of foreign origin
• Agricultural crops differ greatly from their wild relatives due to science and technology such as domestication, selection, and advancements in scientific breeding and production technologies.
• Production seasonality and regional specialization of production require significant movement of agricultural goods across countries.
• A globalized food system made possible by food processing technologies, the food cold chain, and efficient transport and distribution systems brings food to consumers.
• Sugar and vegetable oil consumption is projected to increase due to urbanization and a shift to more processed and convenient foods.
• In the U.S., 57.5% of food sources are ultra-processed foods, 30.2% are unprocessed/minimally processed foods, and 12.3% are cooking ingredients and cheese as of 2019.

Environmental Impacts and Concerns

• Increasing food demand, consumption, and changing consumption patterns influence greenhouse gas emissions

• Food demand and consumption is ever-increasing, accompanied by changing consumption patterns due to shifts in demographics, income and urbanization

• The world consumes more processed food which has implications of nutrition security and safety

• The food cold chain reduces perishable food loss but accounts for 15% of the world's fossil fuel energy and 40% of global greenhouse effect from transport

• Greenhouse gas emissions by sector:

  • Livestock & Fisheries: 31%
  • Crop Production: 27%
  • Land Use: 24%
  • and Supply Chain: 18%

• Climate is essential for agricultural production.

• Changes in the average temperature and precipitation levels affect agricultural productivity, farm incomes, and prices.

• There are growing concerns to reduce agriculture's environmental impact.

• There is now pressing concern to reduce environmental impacts of agriculture and food production on greenhouse gas emissions as well as natural resource base such as land, water and biodiversity.

• Agriculture emissions are expected to slow down in this decade, growing by 0.5% p.a. compared with 0.7% p.a. in the past ten years.

The Panig4th Revolution

• The Panig4th Revolution consists of;
  • 15,000 BC Pre- Agriculture (foraging & hunting, fishing, nomadic life)
  • 10,000 BC 1st Agricultural Revolution/ Neolithic Revolution (domestication of plants/animals, increased pop., creation of societies)
  • 1750-1900 2nd Agricultural Revolution/ Industrial Revolution (N-fertilizer , selective breeding, irrigation)
  • 1960's 3rd Agricultural Revolution (Expanded use of Technologies, breeding techniques, biotechnology, use of HYV, hybrids inc. GMO)
  • 2010 onwards 4th Agricultural Revolution (Precision smart farming, digitization, robotics, new breeding techniques )

The 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals

• The UN’s Sustainable Development plan aims to end hunger, improve nutrition, promote sustainable development goals

Local Context: Philippine Agriculture

• The Philippine GDP is 5.9%, with agriculture contributing 0.08 percentage points.
• The agricultural sector received 184.1 Billion pesos in 2023.
• The agricultural sector employed 10 million workers, contributing 24.30% to national employment.
• The Philippines is ranked as the 2nd most affected country by climate change as of 2018.
• From 2016-2022, growth in agriculture was erratic and declining and agriculture's gross output/crops has been declining.
• 40% of the total workforce is employed by agriculture and its allied industries.
• Farmers account for 30% of poverty incidence in the country.
• The top crops in the Philippines are sugarcane, palay, coconut, and corn.
• The Philippines remains a net importer of agricultural products.

Priorities in Agriculture

• Agriculture 4.0 - Digital Agriculture Internet of Things (IoT)
• Technological development -Precision farming, AI, Sensors, robotics, new breeding techniques
• Globalization of Trade- efficient technology-based production and processing technologies, market driven standards
• Climate Change Resilient crops varieties/breeds, technologies
• Commitment towards UN Sustainable Development Goals

Site Evaluation for Crop Production

• Evaluating a site determines whether it is appropriate for crop production and if the site matches the crops characteristics
• Evaluation considers several quantitative indicators (e.g. soil pH, elevation and slope) and qualitative characteristics.
• GIS can be used for physical parameters (climate, soil).
• Remote sensing with GIS is an efficient way to map agricultural land
• The closer the growing environment is to ideal, the higher the chance for a successful crop yield.
• Approaches to site evaluation:
  • Identify the specific crop, then find areas for growing:
    • Perform a crop feasibility study (market analysis, growing conditions, costs, profit)
    • Determine a location (climate, land use, socio-political factors, infrastructure)
    • Perform testing and full-scale production

Suitable Soils

• Soil provides anchorage to the plant
• Soil serves as medium/reservoir for air, water, nutrients, and beneficial organisms
• Loss of topsoil reduces the agricultural value of the land
• Soils with moderate soil texture (loam) are ideal for most crops
• A desirable soil structure is granular and porous with high organic content.
• Macronutrients/micronutrients are needed at optimum and balances amount

Favorable Climate Conditions

• Climate is the average condition of the atmosphere.
• It influences plant physiological and biochemical processes (photosynthesis, respiration etc.)
• Factors that determine distribution:
  • Apple, pear, and wheat are temperate crops
  • Mango, banana, and coconut are tropical crops
• Rainfall is the primary water source for crop production.
• Types of climate:
  • Type I (Dry from November to April, wet May to October)
  • Type II (No dry period)
  • Type III (Short dry period)
  • Type IV (Rainfall evenly distributed)
• Typhoons can be beneficial, with 47% of rainfall are associated with typhoon

Land Preparation

• Land preparation involves working the soil so that it is ready for planting
• Land preparation depends on vegetation and crop requirements.
• Benefits of land preparation:
  • Provides excellent condition for crop growth.
  • Controls weeds.
  • Reduces the amount of microorganisms in the soil.
  • Incorporate organic matter.
• Primary practices that involve land preparation:
  • Plowing
  • Harrowing
  • Furrowing

Lowland (Rice) Soil Characteristics

• In Lowland soil, tillage is done when soil is fully saturated with water.
• Soil is compacted at a plow sole layer
• Ideal paddy soil has small particle size/aggregates, a low hydraulic conductivity, high bulk density, and is relatively neutral in pH.

Upland Soil Characteristics

• In Upland soil, tillage is done when soil moisture is near field capacity
• Tilling soil with excessive soil moisture will results to soil compaction and will destroy soil structure
• The extent of land preparation for perennial crops depends on the land.
• Land presently planted to perennial crops may occur but should cut grasses and vegetations.

Recommended Planting Conditions

• The soil should be granular and friable with level soil
• The well-prepared upland soil should have stubbles and weeds thoroughly incorporated with the soil
• Increases in Power occur with wet soil
• Land should be oriented to minimize erosion.

Planting Materials

• Planting materials should be varieties recommended or approved by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) because they have proven characteristics

Methods of Crop Production

• The two types of propagation are:
  • Use of seeds (sexual propagation) applicable for most annual crops
  • Use of vegetative parts (asexual propagation) like roots, leaves and stems applicable for most some plantation and fruits
• Advantages of asexual reproduction is that more plants are true-to-type - good fruit trait - and asexual propagation is the only option for seedless reproduction.
• Seeds for planting must be physiologically mature and and viable
• Treatment the improves the permeability of the seedcoat and hasten seed germination is scarification
• Stratification is subjecting the seeds to cold treatment to break dormancy
• Suitable crops with small seeds are the crops best for vegetable seedling
• Methods of vegetable seedling include the following: seedbed, and seedbox method