GE Crops - Agriculture Flashcards
Why will agriculture always be controlled by large corporations?
Agriculture is technology dependent, and the large corporations develop and sell the technologies
What is agriculture?
Intensive cultivation of food aimed to minimize inputs and maximize outputs. It is a science, an art, a practice, and a business
What are 3 pieces of evidence that agriculture occurred in ancient times?
Tools, evidence of land use, domestication of wild plants and animals
What are 4 characteristics of domesticated plants?
More dependent on humans, reduced seed dormancy, fewer, larger seeds, uniformity
Why do we want a crop to be uniform?
Increases yield. Also everything will germinate, grow, and be harvested at the same time
When did agriculture originate? Where? What did they grow?
About 11 000 years ago, but we aren’t sure. Developed independently in many parts of the world, indigenous peoples on most continents used some sort of agriculture. Barley and wheat were grown on the Fertile Crescent, millets and rice in the Yellow River area of China, wild rice in Alberta, potatoes and corn in South America, yam daisies in Australia
What is sustainable agriculture?
Agriculture that minimizes environmental damage and is able to function in the long term
Why is sustainable agriculture important?
- The livelihood of farmers
- For export and economics
- Minimize harm to the environment
- Don’t want people in the future to starve
What does “integrated solutions” mean?
There is no single tool or practice that is a magic bullet. Everything is a tool in the toolbox, but there isn’t anything that can single-handedly make agriculture sustainable
What are 10 things that affect crop yield?
- Competition from weeds
- Insect herbivory
- Disease
- Soil and nutrients
- Moisture
- Arable land
- Politics
- War
- Food wastage
- Economics
Why is it important that many different varieties/cultivars exist for the same plant species in order for sustainable agriculture to occur?
So the farmers can select locally adapted cultivars
What is the point of using locally adapted cultivars?
Different regions have different climates, growing seasons, pests, diseases, and soil conditions. Using a cultivar that is locally adapted means that plant is adapted to grow well in those conditions, which minimizes the input needed
