Agriculture Flashcards
Decline in Grain Stock
- Rising temperatures result in decreased rainfall/precipitation, which can result in drought
- Ethanol production (alcohol)
- More grain is going towards feeding livestock (increased demand for meat consumption in developed countries)
- Falling water tables, droughts
Poverty and Food
- 1.3 billion people cannot afford proper nutrition
- Rural areas more likely to experience poverty and food problems
- Infants, children, elderly most affected (people generally take care of themselves first, children and infants are left at the mercy of their parents)
Meat Consumption
- Constitutes 40% of the calories consumed in developed countries
- Constitutes 5% of the calories consumed in developing countries
Those in developing countries are more likely to distribute their meat supply to developed countries for economic benefit
Industrialized Agriculture
Modern agriculture methods that require large capital input
Require less land and labour
Subsistence Agriculture (Sustainable Agriculture)
Traditional agricultural methods
Dependent on labour and large amounts of land
- Shifting cultivation
- Slash and burn agriculture
- Nomadic herding
- Intercropping
Shifting Cultivation
Preserves soil fertility by crop rotation
Growing crop on an area of land and migrating the crop to a new area when necessary
When the crop is not yielding as much as you expect (old soil), you would move it to another place (new soil)
Slash and Burn Agriculture
Set an area of crop/vegetation on fire to clear bush and create an area of fertile soil to grow crops
Ashes enrich soil with nutrients
Intercropping
Growing various types of crops on a piece of land within close proximity
Certain crops replenish nutrients to impoverished soil
Increases crop production, optimum use of soil
Beneficial effects for the various crops with one another (mutualism: protection from wind erosion, nutrient replenishment, organisms that provide nitrogen fixation, pest management)
Nomadic Herding
Livestock farming whereby the cattle are led to one place to another for grazing everyday
Irregular pattern of movement
Ensures a constant food supply for animals, and animals eat invasive plant species and weeds
Low cost of raising livestock, less grain needed for food
Sustainable Agriculture
Agricultural methods that maintain soil productivity and a healthy ecological balance while having minimal long-term impacts
- Natural predator-prey relationships > pesticides
- Crop selection, crop rotation, conservation tillage
- Nitrogen supply with legumes (soybeans, green beans) through nitrogen fixing bacteria in their root nodules > fertilizers
- Integrated pest management (IPM) reduces the need for pesticides and depends on predator-prey relationships
- Selecting crops with pest resistance
- Planting crops that replenish soil with nutrients when soil is impoverished
- Avoiding tillage as much as possible, as it leads to soil compaction which reduces soil structure, which has an effect on irrigation and can lead to sheet and gully erosion, as well as soil impoverishment; also reduces the likelihood of runoff
Hormone Supplements
US and Canada, not used in Europe
Steroids that are used in livestock to increase their growth rate
Increases the efficiency of converting the feed they eat (grain) into meat; therefore, less grain and time is needed to produce meat
Consequences: we consume these hormones when we eat this meat, affects the growth of children, breakdown products found in hormone treated meat can cause cancer
Antibiotic Supplements
Makes animals gain 4-5% more weight
40% of antibiotics produced in the US are used in livestock operations
Consequences: bacteria produce antibiotic resistance, we consume this resistant bacteria through eating this meat, some bacteria have resistance to every antibiotic known
Genetic Engineering
Manipulation of genes by taking specific genes from a cell of one species and placing it into the cell of an unrelated species
The purpose is to develop and express specific beneficial traits/genes in host species
Used to produce genetically modified (GM) food
Determined to be safe for human consumption
Concerns: gene cross over/mixing with other species, long term effects unknown, alteration of the natural ecosystem, human development of allergies
Backlash against GMOs in Europe
GM Food
Golden rice is rich in beta carotene, which prevents vitamin A deficiency in developing countries
Produces crops that are resistance to pests, heat, cold, drought, acidity, herbicides, and pesticides; crops produce larger yield
Produces more productive farm animals
Factors Effecting Food Crisis
- Decline in grain stock (grain industry not increasing with population increases)
- Overshoot (+30%)
- Overpopulation
- Environmental impacts (global warming, acidification, drought)
- Distribution problems
- Poverty
