Food Lecture Flashcards
What shape is the historical human population curve?
J-Shaped Curve
How much has the human population increased in the last 40 years? (according to the historical human population curve)
3 to 6 billion in the last 40 years
Up to _______ people consume less than the minimum critical diet and face hunger _____.
billion; daily.
How many million deaths a year are caused from malnutrition and starvation?
There are 18 to 20 million deaths a year from malnutrition and starvation
In the US alone there are ______ chronically hungry people.
In the US alone, there are 20 mil
In the 1950s how many million tons of grain were produced worldwide and how many acres were used?
In 1950 - 692 million tons and 1.7 billion acres
In the 1992 how many million tons of grain were produced worldwide and how many acres were used?
In 1992 - 1.9 billion tons and 1.73 billion acres
When comparing the worldwide grain production in the 1950s and 1992 how much did grain production increase?
170% increase in grain production from 1 % more land.
What entails Traditional Agriculture?
- small farms
- animal labor
- low use of chemicals and irrigation
- natural plant varieties
What entails Industrialized Agriculture?
- large farms
- fossil-fuel driven machinery
- intense use of pesticides, fertilizer and irrigation
- high-yield plant varieties
60 Years Fighting Hunger….
Norman E. Borlaug
What are the 4 steps that made up the Green Revolution?
1) High yield, pest resistant crops
2) Intensive use of
Who was involved in the Cooperative Agricultural Program (1943-1960)? What was the goals?
Mexican Government- Rockefeller Foundation;
- research focus to increase yields and production
- Mexican scientists
What do the wheat seed shipments to Asia procedure look like?
- 1965: Seeds to India and Pakistan 200 tons to India
- 1968: Pakistan becomes self sufficient
- 1974: India becomes self-sufficient
- 1980s: India exports grain!
What is the estimated growth in Worldwide fertilizer use in 1960-2020?
increasing!
What are some problems with the green revolution?
- increased pesticide & herbicide use
- increasing fertilizer use
- price strongly influenced by energy prices
- traditional/cultural replaced
It takes 5.5 tons of fossil fuel to produce how much fertilizer?
Takes 5.5 tons of fossil fuel to produce 1.1 tons of fertilizer.
What are 5 common types of pesticides?
1) Herbicides
2) Insecticides
3) Nematocides
4) Fungicides
5) Rodenticides
The ideal pesticide kills only target pests, what other qualities does the ideal pesticide posses?
- Harm no other species
- break down quickly (after doing its job)
- does not cause genetic resistance in target organisms
- be more cost effective than doing nothing
In 225 mya what did plants do?
Plants invented (natural) pesticides
500 BC - 1920s what pesticides did humans use?
Sulfur, lead, arsenic, mercury.
In 1600s to the present what pesticides did humans use?
nicotine sulfate, pyrethrum, rotenone.
In 1939 to the present what pesticides did humans use?
synthetic pesticides (i.e. DDT)
Does the average lawn use more pesticides per unit area than US cropland?
Yes, the average lawn in the US uses 10x more synthetic pesticides per unit area than US cropland
(that is 25% of all pesticide use!)
What types of diseases can pesticide use prevent? (A Case for Pesticides)
Malaria and typhus (save human lives)
One case for pesticides is that Washington apple crop is now what?
Washington apple crop is now 90% less toxic
What are other major benefits to pesticide use?
- increase food production, lower food costs
- health risks insignificant compared to benefits (when used properly)
- newer pesticides are safer and more effective
- new pesticides are used at very low rates and concentrations
Genetic Resistance means what?
- more applications
- larger doses
- more chemicals
Since 1942 there has been a ___ increase in pesticide use?
33x increase in pesticides since 1942
but we still lose the same amount of crops to pests: 31%
Pesticides kill natural pests as well as?
Create new pests
