Canadian Association for the Club of Rome
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Dr. Ralph Martin | Agriculture in the Anthropocene | CACOR Zoom presentation | 2022-06-01
June 1, 2022 @ 13:30 - 15:30 EDT
Speaker: Dr. Ralph Martin
Topic: Agriculture in the Anthropocene.
Time: Jun 1, 2022 13:30 Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Summary:
In planetary history, the Holocene was unusually benign for agriculture. Now that we have crossed into the Anthropocene, agriculture must adapt to shifting conditions. Since WWII, agriculture has been driven by a goal to produce excess food as the human population rises. Problems with this approach include wasted food, excess livestock, unhealthy eating habits, concentration of farmland ownership, and pollution. The possibilities to balance production with consumption are to reduce wasted food, increase the biodiversity of farmed plant species, draw down CO2 while improving soil health, address inequality and reduce dependency on fertilizers. Humans have yet to learn when we have enough.
Biography:
Ralph Martin has a B.A. and an M.Sc. in Biology from Carleton University and a Ph.D. in Plant Science from McGill University. His research and teaching began in 1990 at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, when he realized students teach him too. In 2001, he founded the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (see link) to coordinate university research and education pertaining to organic systems, across Canada. In 2011, he was appointed as Professor and the Loblaw Chair in Sustainable Food Production at the Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph. In 2019, he retired and published his book, Food Security. More info at www.ralphmartin.ca
Link to | Dr. Ralph Martin on Agriculture in the Anthropocene