Chapter 11 - Agriculture Flashcards
_____________ is a dominant influence on the global landscape.
Agriculture
How far back do the origins of agriculture date back?
9,000–11,000 years to a few regions where societies domesticated both plant and animal species
What are the three types of Agricultural Land?
- Arable Land
- Permanent Cropland
- Permanent Pastures
What type of land makes up the majority of agricultural land?
Permanent Pastures (32,768,636 km2)
What type of crops are planted on arable land?
Crops that require annual replanting (peas, corn, watermelon, common wheat)
What types of crops occupy permanent cropland?
Where crops (such as coffee, tea, potatoes, fruit) do not require annual replanting
Approximately _____ of the land area of the world is used for agricultural purposes
1/3
What has become a key development strategy in most agricultural practices?
Intensification of production, or getting more output from a given area of agricultural land
People are considered undernourished if their caloric intake is less then _____% of the recommended level for their size and activity level
90
Agriculture is basically an ___________ as solar radiation is converted through one of more transformations into human food supplies
ecological process
How is the second law of thermodynamics important in agricultural food chains?
The longer the food chain, the greater the energy loss
What has led to the profound changes in global land base?
Domestication of plants and animals
What is one key was to reduce agricultures contributions to global warming?
To reduce the numbers of livestock by eating less meat, no-tillage cultivation
Since cultivation began, up to ____% of the carbon originally present in the surface soil layer has been lost
30
Why has N2O increased in emissions lately?
Increased use of fertilizers
Agriculture accounts for ____% of Canada’s GHG emissions
8-10
True or false: The negative effects of climate change are likely to be particularly pronounced in less developed countries
True
Dramatic changes in food production systems have occurred through various technological advances influenced in turn by:
- Changes in demographics
- Social structure
- Economic conditions
What does the green revolution mean?
Refers to technological advances designed to increase the productivity of agricultural lands
The development and commercialization of higher yielding seeds through _______________ led to significant grain yields throughout the world
hybridization
Define Hybridization:
The crossbreeding of two varieties or species of plants and animals
What does the development of GMOs involve?
Combining genes from different and often totally unrelated species
What is there a large reliance on in the Green Revolution?
On large auxiliary energy flows in modern industrialized agricultural systems is one of the main differences between natural and agro-ecosystems
Define Subsistence Farming:
The production of food and other necessities to satisfy the needs of the farm household
True or False: Agriculture is not Canada’s largest user of water, it is its largest consumer
True
________________ is one form of auxiliary energy used in agricultural production, environmental impacts are much less than those resulted from fossil-fuelled.
Horse Power
What are two key inputs in modern farming systems?
- Fertilizers
- Biocides
What is a central strategy to improving agricultural output?
To limit losses from the effects of pests and diseases and from weed competition
What are Biofuels?
They are solids, liquids, or gases that have been derived from plants and other organic material and are processed into an oil that acts as a petroleum replacement
What is the Livestock Revolution?
The shift in production units from family farms to factory farms and feedlots (meat consumption has doubled since 1977)
___% of Canada’s total land area is agricultural land
7
What are the dominant crops grown in Canada?
- Wheat
- Canola
- Corn
- Barley
- Soybean
What are the 6 key processes that reduce the capability of agricultural lands to produce food?
- Soil Erosion
- Soil Compaction
- Soil Acidification
- Salinization
- Summer Fallow
- Organic Matter and Nutrient Losses
Define Soil Erosion:
A natural process whereby soil is removed from its place of formation by gravitational, water, and wind processes
Define Soil Compaction:
The compression of soil as a result of frequent heavy machinery use on wet soils or the overstocking of cattle on the land
Define Soil Acidification:
Acidity in soils can also be augmented by fallout from acid precipitation and the use of fertilizers
Define Salinization:
The deposit of salts in irrigated soils, making soil unfit for most crops; caused by a rising water table due to inadequate drainage of irrigated soils
Define Summer Fallow:
A practice common on the Prairies in which land is kept bare to minimize moisture losses through evapotranspiration but which leads to increased salinization
What is involved in Organic Matter and Nutrient Losses?
Cultivation involves a continuous removing plant matter from a field, which is critical for maintaining the structure of the soil, influencing water filtration, facilitating aeration, and providing the capacity to support machinery
What is involved in Conventional Tillage?
- Increases soil erosion
- Increase moisture loss
- Lead to soil compaction
Define Conventional Tillage:
Normal tilling / plowing of land before seeding.
Define Conservation Tillage:
Disturbing the soil as little as possible
What two types are involved in Conservation tillage?
- Minimum tillage
- Zero tillage
What are the benefits of conservation tillage?
- Minimizes soil erosion
- Conserve soil moisture
- Reduce compaction
Define Biocides:
They are chemicals that kill many different kinds of living things, they are also called pesticides
The _______________ is an endangered species that has been threatened by the use of agricultural biocides (carbofuran)
burrowing owl
