Chapter 5 Flashcards
Define agricultural sustainability
“…improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems
What are the four key principles of sustainable agriculture?
- Integrate biological and ecological processes
- Minimize use of non-renewable inputs
- Make productive use of the knowledge and skills of farmers
- Make productive use of peoples collective capacities to work together
What are the 4 dimensions of SAFA?
- Governance
- Environment
- Social
- Economy
What does SAFA stand for?
Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agricultural Systems
How many sub-themes and indicators are there in SAFA?
58 sub-themes
118 indicators
What are some of the sub-themes of environmental integrity?
Atmosphere Water Land Biodiversity Materials and energy Animal welfare
What are some best practices for GHG mitigation processes?
- Soil fertility management
- Reduced/zero tillage
- Thermal screens in greenhouses
- Use of less intensive GHG emissions transportation
What are some unacceptable practices for GHG mitigation processes?
Application of high rates of fertilizers
Land - use changes
Practice of burning of residues
What are some best practices for water conservation?
Mulching
Efficient irrigation techniques
Implementation of re-circulating aquaculture systems
What are some unacceptable practices for water conservation?
Inefficient or not regularly maintained irrigation systems
Inefficient use of water for handling and processing purposes
How do you measure soil’s chemical quality?
Soil pH
Salinity
Nutrients
How do you measure soils biological quality?
Abundance of certain organisms
Activity of micro-organisms (soil respiration)
What are some ecosystem enhancing best practices?
Agroforestry
Mixed crop-livestock systems
Mixed rice-fish system
Intercropping
What does freedom from stress mean?
Freedom from hunger and thirst; from discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; from fear and distress; and freedom to express normal behaviour
What is the agrarian philosophy?
Agriculture has an additional function beyond providing food, feed, fibre and fuel
What is the industrial philosophy?
A sector of an industrial society where products are produced at the lowest cost and provide sufficient food, feed, fibre and fuel
What are some extensive agriculture systems?
Small amounts of labour and capital relative to land area
Yield depends on the natural fertility of the soil, terrain, climate and availability of water
What is an intensive system?
Large amounts of labour and capital
Use of fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides
High-efficiency machinery
Irrigation equipment
What is intensification?
Intensification using natural, social and human capital assets, combined with the use of best available technologies and inputs (best ecological management, best genetic varieties, etc.) that minimize or eliminate harm to the environment
What are some activities to improve productivity and sustainability?
Soil management Crop and vegetation diversity management Water management Nutrient management Weeds, pest and disease management
What is integrated aquaculture?
Incorporating fish, shrimp etc, into farm systems
What is permaculture?
Creative design process based on ethics and design principles; mimic the patterns and relationships we can find in nature; can be applied to all aspects of human habitation, from agriculture to ecological building
The three pillars of sustainability are considered to be:
Environment, Economy, and Society
The Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA) talks about four dimensions of sustainability assessment which include good governance, environmental integrity, social wellbeing, and economic resilience. Within the environmental dimension there are six themes, these are:
Atmosphere, Water, Land, Materials & Energy, Biodiversity, and Animal Welfare
Permaculture is a type of agriculture that involves the use of permanent pastures.
False
Dan Barber discusses a fish farm in Spain that measures its success by the health of its:
Flamingoes
The Spanish fish farm discussed by Dan Barber would be considered to be an ________ agricultural system.
Extensive
The Meriam Library’s CRAAP test can be used to evaluate:
Evidence
The freedom to express normal behaviour is an important indicator of good animal welfare.
True
Pollination is considered to be an ecosystem services
True
Precision Agriculture relies on the use of:
Satellites
Negative impacts of agriculture on the environment are often called Negative Externalities
True
Martin Crawford states that his forest garden is able to feed approximately __________ the number of people that can be fed from the same amount of land under conventional agriculture.
Double
Earthworms are considered to be an indicator of poor soil quality
False
