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agriculture Flashcards

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1
Q

what is contour plowing and its benefits

A
  • plowing, harvesting, and doing other agricultural methods along the curves of a slope, rather than straight up and down on a slope
  • less soil erosion because the contours catch eroded topsoil that falls downhill
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2
Q

what irrigation method causes salinization and why.

A

furrow irrigation because it is the least efficient and causes more evaporation
when ground water is used to water plants. groundwater has salt and when evaporation and water intake by roots occurs, the salt is left behind.

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3
Q

what irrigation method causes waterlogging and why

A

flood irrigation because the roots are under a large amount of water and cannot get oxygen. the amount of groundwater increases because of more percolation and the amount of air underground decreases. then the roots “suffocate”

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4
Q

what irrigation method prevents waterlogging and salinization

A

drip irrigation

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5
Q

what is soil aeration and why would a farmer use it

A

soil aeration : poking holes in the soil in order to allow air to enter and water to drain. it helps crop growth as well, giving them an optimal environment. a farmer would use it if the soil is waterlogged

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6
Q

how can you solve salinization?

A

use freshwater to irrigate, soil aeration, or drip irrigation

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7
Q

what is the number one way water is used?

A

in agriculture - 70% of global water use
(for irrigation and livestock)

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8
Q

where can you find groundwater?

A

underground, filling pore space in permeable rock and sediments

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9
Q

how are aquifers replenished?

A

Replenished by groundwater recharge (rainwater percolating down through the soil into an aquifer)
- Unconfined aquifers recharge quickly + are easily accessible
- Confined aquifers recharge are longer-term water deposits that recharge slowly

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10
Q

what is shifting agriculture? what consequences does it have?

A
  • slash and burn : vegetation is cut and then burnt. the ash is used as fertilizer and the cleared land is used for a couple of years to farm. then, once the land is completely depleted of nutrients, this process is done somewhere else.
  • bad bc it causes GHG gasses, reduces soil productivity, topsoil erosion, deforestation, and desertification
  • used in places w poor soil like rainforests
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11
Q

what is nomadic grazing? what consequences does it have? what benefits?

A
  • uses soil w/ low productivity for grazing seasonally
  • good bc it allows vegetation to grow back and recover when the livestock go to another place
  • bad as the population increases and it happens v often
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12
Q

what is the goal of sustainable farming?

A

to produce nutritional foods without causing soil erosion/degradation, GHG release, and FF use, while still giving the farmer profits

  • using conservation and soil improvement methods
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13
Q

why is sustainable farming not always the best option?

A

since it strives to decrease FF use, there is more human labor needed. in developed countries, wages are high and so people do not want to switch, as it would be cheaper to have machines rather than people that you have to pay.

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14
Q

sustainable farming uses agricultural methods that people in _________________ already use

A

developing countries like india, thailand, and kenya

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15
Q

what are some sustainable agricultural methods? (name 5)

A
  1. using plant and animal waste as fertilizer
  2. intercropping: multiple plants are planted together so that they can both benefit each other (mutualism) and boost plant growth - ex: corn (has a lot of N) is planted next to peas (a nitrogen-fixing legume) to make the nitrogen cycle faster and more efficient
  3. crop rotation: crop species in a field are rotated from season to season - ex: peas are planted in a field for one year, leaving excess nitrogen in the soil to nourish the corn crop that is planted there in the following year
  4. agroforestry (a subcategory of intercropping) : trees are planted next to crops to act as windbreaks, reduce soil erosion with their roots, and provide fruit and firewood
  5. contour plowing : plowing and harvesting parallel to the topographic contours of the land to prevent downhill soil erosion
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16
Q

what is no-till agriculture?

A

when annual plants are grown, they need to be replenished because they can only be harvested for one season (corn/wheat). usually, once they are harvested, the soil is tilled to push crop residues under the topsoil to kill weeds and insect pupae and to make replanting easier. this causes soil erosion and contamination and topsoil loss due to loose soil. No-till agriculture means farmers do not turn the soil between seasons and is used to reduce topsoil erosion and soil degradation. leftover crop residues hold soil in place and act as fertilizer

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17
Q

what is the consequence of no-till agriculture?

A

since weeds are not killed during tilling, there will be increased herbicide use

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18
Q

what is ipm? what methods are a part of ipm?

A

integrated pest management : using pest control methods to minimize pesticide use
1. crop rotations : doesn’t allow weeds and pests to make a permanent home, disrupts them
2. intercropping/agroforestry can be done in two ways. planting trees allows birds that eat insects to eat pests that affect the crops. planting plants that naturally repel insects next to crops or planting plants that pests prefer in order to diver the pest’s attention from crops.
3. biocontrol: introducing natural predators of the pest/weed to kill it
4. monitoring for pest and weed growth to stop it before it becomes a problem/research

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19
Q

what are the benefits of ipm? disadvantages?

A

benefits: bc there’s less pesticide use, the negative consequences of pesticides go away.
- produce is safer to eat
- non-target species are not killed
- runoff and contaminations from pesticides are also reduced
- it saves farmers money from buying pesticides
- increases crop yield
disadvantages:
- time consuming
- you need specialized farmers which takes time and money

20
Q

what is organic agriculture? does it have disadvantages:

A

making food without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers while still preserving the soil and its health.
- they are usually small farms, with diverse crops
- disadvantages: they need to use tilling because they don’t use herbicides and alternative pesticides, like fossil fuels to burn pests, are not environmentally friendly

21
Q

what are the benefits of free-range meat and the disadvantages?

A

benefits:
- ethical because the animals are not brought up in cruel conditions
- less disease spreads which means less antibiotic use (good because that means food is safer to eat)
- less FF use in order to feed them
- less manure is made and can be used as fertilizer

disadvantages:
- uses way more land and makes meat more costly for consumers

22
Q

what can happen if people overfish?

A
  • fisheries collapse : 90% of fish population declines
    and can cause further population declines bc of decreased biodiversity and inbreeding depression
  • fishermen loose money
23
Q

what is important to have in fishery management plans

A
  • international cooperation because fish migrate across borders and many large fisheries are between multiple countries
24
Q

name an extremely harmful fishing method

A

bottom trawling- uses a large net across the floor and it catches lots of bycatch

25
Q

What is aquaculture? name some benefits and disadvantages.

A
  • like farming, but in water and for seafood: raising fish, or other aquatic species in cages/enclosures underwater
  • takes up little space, water, and fuel
  • better because it means people don’t disrupt as many natural fish and helps stop overfishing and fishery collapses
  • produces waste that enters the water, causing eutrophication, contamination, and disease
  • if fish escape, they become invasive
26
Q

why is small-scale farming still common in developing countries?

A

because human labor is cheaper than buying expensive machinery and products like fertilizer

27
Q

where is shifting agriculture most likely to be used and what are some examples

A

in places with low-nutrient soil because it might not be able to be used indefinitely. slash and burn and nomadic grazing are typical of these

28
Q

which type of soil has the highest water-holding capacity? (clay, sand, loam, silt) is this soil good for fertility, why or why not?

A

clay. this is because its particles are so small that it can prevent a lot of water from going through the soil. it has low permeability and porosity, making it good for fertility in small amounts

29
Q

name two chemical properties of soil. what are they caused by and what do they do?

A

pH levels: the higher the acidity, the more leeching
- less nutrients because the positive acid displaces positive nutrients
- can be increased by acid rain
- can be decreased by adding a base like limestone

caution exchange: how well the soil can attract positive ions (nutrients)
- better in clayey soils bc clay is (-)
- regulates the pH and adds nutrients
- even though this means clay is good for the soil, too much can make roots waterlogged due to a high water holding capacity

30
Q

what are three physical properties of soil?

A

aeration- a soils ability to take in nutrients, water, and oxygen (AIRation - mainly can air get to the roots?)
compaction: how close particles are packed
permeability (pore space)

31
Q

the largest human water use is for ____________, which takes up _________% of water use

A

irrigation, 70

32
Q

undernutrition vs malnutrition vs overnutrition

A

under - not enough calories
mal- unbalanced meals
over - too many calories

33
Q

why arent nutritional needs being met in some places?

A

because of poverty and political reasons : they cause food insecurity

34
Q

how are dustbowls caused?

A

droughts cause the soil to become dry and less compact. human impacts with agriculture like poor crop rotation, increased tilling, and less sustainability caused the soil to be eroded even more. wind then carries the eroded topsoil and makes extreme weather events

35
Q

since 1950, how has global grain production changed?

A

increased rapidly 1950-80. then it started to increase more slowly and then became more steady. it may be on the decline

36
Q

starvation is caused by ______________

A

unequal food distribution

37
Q

what is the difference between first and second-generation pesticides?

A

first: used traditionally (still synthetic tho) used chemicals extracted from plants (nicotine sulfate, extracted from tobacco leaves)
second: made in a lab (DDT)

38
Q

what are the 5 techniques of the green revolution?

A
  1. pesticides
  2. fertilizers
  3. monocropping
  4. mechinization
  5. irrigation
39
Q

what are the advantages vs disadvantages of fertilizers (mostly synthetic)

A

a: provide nutrients to crops, which increases yield and profits, easily applicable, can be altered to help specific plants, easily absorbable by plants

d: eutrophication, runoff, adds nutrients without actually adding organic matter, which can decrease fertility

40
Q

what are the advantages vs disadvantages of pesticides

A

a: easily applicable, improve yield and profit, stop crops from being destroyed/wasted

d: pesticide treadmill, runoff, toxic to humans, can kill non-target species

41
Q

what are the advantages vs disadvantages of monocropping

A

a: easy to manage, increases yeild/profit in less time

d: increases soil erosion, reduces genetic diversity, vulnerable to disaster and pests

42
Q

why did the green revolution happen (what was the goal)

A
  1. to increase yield to feed a growing population
    w/ GMOs, irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides, and mechanization
43
Q

by using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, we can increase yields. an unintended consequence, however, is that ______________________ which harms the economy because we loose __________ from them

A

non target species are killed
mutalistic benefits

44
Q

what is famine?

A

deaths per day per 10000 people due to lack of food

45
Q

what is a food desert

A

when high levels of poverty occur and it is hard to get groceries.
ex. you live in the middle of nowhere, with no grocery stores. it is unrealistic to go to the store to get produce all the time, so instead u have to go to fast food places more often or starve

46
Q

conventional vs traditional agriculture:

A

conventional uses factories and machines in developed countries
traditional uses human labor in developing countries

47
Q

name the irrigation methods from least to most efficient

A

furrow, flood, spray, drip

ap environmental science (2 decks)

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