Agriculture Flashcards
What is Agriculture?
Agriculture is the science of farming which entails the cultivation of soil for growth of crops and rearing of animals.
What do you call animals that are reared for food consumption?
Lifestock
What are 4 major professions in agriculture?
Farmers, Crop Biologists, Livestock veterinarians and agricultural economist
What are the advantages of sustainable agriculture?
Sustainable agriculture:
- Enhances a farmer’s quality of life
- Ensures the farms included are economically viable
- Makes effecient use of renewable resources and farm resources
- Enhances the quality of the environment
- Satisfies human food needs
- Ensures agricultural systems continue to meet the needs of future generations.
What is Sustainable agriculture?
It’s the production of food and animal products using environmentally friendly farming techniques that protect the public health and animal welfare.
What are food shortages?
Food shortages occur when a region doesn’t have enough food to support its population. It’s fatal to a country’s economy and stunts it’s growth.
What are causes of food shortages?
- Water scarcity
- Disease
- War/ Conflict
- Free Trade
- Corrupt government
- Overpopulation
- Climate change
What are some short term effects of food shortages?
- Poor nutrition/ Malnutrition
- Hunger related deaths
- Negative impact on dietary quality and eating behaviors.
What are some long term effects of food shortages?
- Increase in healthcare expenses
- Plummet of employment rates
- Drop in GDP
- Drop in HDI
- Increases occurrence of chronic illnesses amongst a population (diabetes, hypertension, obesity, anxiety)
What are some factors of Food security?
- Availability
- Sustainability
- Access
Factors that negative impact food security are?
- Global water crisis
- Land degradation (Soil erosion and exhaustion)
- Climate change
How does climate change affect Agriculture?
With a change in weather patterns such as precipitation and rainfall, it can either:
- get a lot hotter and cause drought seasons to lengthen and hence kill lots of crops
- increase in rainfall causing flooding and once again a crop killing cause
- Causes more intense hurricanes (crop killer #3)
What are some impacts of climate change on the Agricultural sector?
- Decrease in farmer’s income
- Raise in food prices on local market
- Increase in agricultural exports and decrease in foreign exchange earnings
What are some solutions to food shortages?
-Waste less food
- Improve trade policies
- Depend on natural pollination
- Improve or set up nutrition assistance programs
- Address unemployment
- Artificial Insemination
What is pastoral farming?
A form of farming that is centered around the Rearing of animals only.
