Post by eclipse on Sept 9, 2014 18:48:02 GMT 9.5
Hi all,
this caught my eye!
this caught my eye!
I spent a little over 10 years working in the pig industry, and while I focused on environmental issues, I spent plenty of time around very smart nutritionists.
After dropping out of my PhD, I took a one year placement with Australia’s largest pig producer, nominally to write up a master’s. I was surprised to find they had four PhDs on staff and conducted over $2 million worth of research each year.
Pig nutritionists can formulate a diet around whatever source of carbohydrates and fats is cheapest, usually along with industrially produced amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
I know a lot less about poultry production and even less about aquaculture. However, I understand that silver carp tastes divine, and the feed conversion rates for these creatures is less than two to one, with minimal greenhouse gas emissions.
Since the 1990s, enormous progress has been made in understanding how to sustainably integrate the waste from intensive animal production into agriculture. I played a small role in this journey.
The key environmental challenge with intensive animal production is the quantity of nutrients that require careful management. This should not be counted as a negative, however, when the problem we face is feeding 10 billion people!
The manure and effluent by-products of intensive animal production and aquaculture are ideal for anaerobic digestion. This process converts much of the organic matter into methane and liberates the nutrients into the liquid phase. The methane can be burnt to generate heat and power. The nutrients can be shandied for fertigation into intensive horticulture. If the horticulture is undertaken in glasshouses then the ‘waste heat’ and CO2 rich exhaust gases can be used to further increase yields.
So there you have it.
Grow microalgae in the dry arid regions of the world where there is either sea water or non-potable water available for aquaculture ponds. Solar dry the biomass for transport to the peri-urban fringe. Formulate the microalgae with agricultural bio-products, vitamins and amino acids as required. Grow pigs, chickens and fish. Anaerobically digest the manures on site and fertigate the effluent into glass houses. Hey presto—10 billion people fed generously, with a system that is highly adaptable to future changes in the climate.
www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsrazor/overpopulation-and-the-10-billion-person-question/4889816
After dropping out of my PhD, I took a one year placement with Australia’s largest pig producer, nominally to write up a master’s. I was surprised to find they had four PhDs on staff and conducted over $2 million worth of research each year.
Pig nutritionists can formulate a diet around whatever source of carbohydrates and fats is cheapest, usually along with industrially produced amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
I know a lot less about poultry production and even less about aquaculture. However, I understand that silver carp tastes divine, and the feed conversion rates for these creatures is less than two to one, with minimal greenhouse gas emissions.
Since the 1990s, enormous progress has been made in understanding how to sustainably integrate the waste from intensive animal production into agriculture. I played a small role in this journey.
The key environmental challenge with intensive animal production is the quantity of nutrients that require careful management. This should not be counted as a negative, however, when the problem we face is feeding 10 billion people!
The manure and effluent by-products of intensive animal production and aquaculture are ideal for anaerobic digestion. This process converts much of the organic matter into methane and liberates the nutrients into the liquid phase. The methane can be burnt to generate heat and power. The nutrients can be shandied for fertigation into intensive horticulture. If the horticulture is undertaken in glasshouses then the ‘waste heat’ and CO2 rich exhaust gases can be used to further increase yields.
So there you have it.
Grow microalgae in the dry arid regions of the world where there is either sea water or non-potable water available for aquaculture ponds. Solar dry the biomass for transport to the peri-urban fringe. Formulate the microalgae with agricultural bio-products, vitamins and amino acids as required. Grow pigs, chickens and fish. Anaerobically digest the manures on site and fertigate the effluent into glass houses. Hey presto—10 billion people fed generously, with a system that is highly adaptable to future changes in the climate.
www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsrazor/overpopulation-and-the-10-billion-person-question/4889816