5.2

Question 1

factor impacting farming methods

Answer 1

• environmental conditions
• access to vehicles and technology (e.g. tractors and animal feeding systems)
• available financial funds to buy land and inputs
• cultural and environmental values
• government and political initiatives

Question 2

intensive commercial farming (CROPS)

Answer 2

• monoculture
• GMO
• fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides (pesticides can kill non-targets reducing biodiversity)
• mechanical equipment
• machines (can use fuel and emit GHG)

Question 3

intensive commercial farming (ANIMALS)

Answer 3

• high-density animals = risk of rapid disease spread
• ethical concerns
• using growth hormones –> may residue in milk or meat & cause human health problems
• regular use of medicine = adaptation & resistance developing in bacteria
• high concentrations of organic waste

Question 4

organic farming

Answer 4

• physical removal of pests and weeds by hand (labor)
• biological predators (e.g. ladybugs) instead of pesticides
• manure, compost, and green manure plants as nutrient & soil structure improvement instead of fertilizers
• crop rotation
• no growth hormones for animals
• more labor & less yield + cost of crop higher

Question 5

shifting agriculture

Answer 5

• shifting agriculture –> slash and burn/clear an area, move to next, move back when it’s recovered
• only sustainable when low human density (time between moving) –> high pop = not enough time for recovery

Question 6

intensive subsistence farming

Answer 6

• families farm & aim to produce enough for them + sell a little
• traditional farming methods that are labor-intensive

Question 7

intensive commercial farming

Answer 7

• inputs: high use of capital, labor, tech, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation
• outputs: high yields, pollution, runoff, animal waste, soil loss from erosion

Question 8

intensive subsistence farming

Answer 8

• inputs: no capital, low use of tech, high labor, manure, water
• outputs: low yields, high soil losses (erosion)

Question 9

nomadic herding

Answer 9

• moving with animals
• Massai tribes in East Africa
• inputs: no capital, low labor, water, fertilizers
• low yield

Question 10

hunger causes

Answer 10

• poverty
• poor infrastructure
• food waste
• war

Question 11

food waste

Answer 11

• LEDC food losses associated with production to market –> losses to pests (e.g. rats) in storage & poor transportation infrastructure (bad refrigerator)
• MEDC food losses associated with consumer behavior, food policies, and regulations

Question 12

stages & loss reasonings

Answer 12

• harvesting: damaged or wrong size/shape
• processing & packaging: damage to product during washing or prep or wrong facilities for preserving
• distribution: inadequate transport infrastructure or unreliable transport
• retailer: aesthetic standards, packaging defects
• consumer: excess food purchase, wrong storing

Question 13

sustainable farming strats

Answer 13

• legislation: to restrict uses of certain substances (e.g. growth hormones) & set regulation standards for food production
• pollution management: to reduce pollution and its impacts –> reduce use of pesticides & fertilizers, land management practices to contain and use animal waste, remove pollutants from env
• growing indigenous crops: crops adapted to grow in areas of low fertility & rainfall + more resilient to drought and disease
• polyculture farming: use of inter-cropping = low crops between tall crops, low crops = ground cover + reduce weed growth + prevent soil erosion

Question 14

polyculture advantages & disadvantages

Answer 14

• advantages: plants less vulnerable to disease & pests, increase biodiversity, higher yield
• disadvantages: more labor intensive, harvesting takes longer, higher cost of production