Midterm Exam Flashcards
Define a food system
The people, activities, resources, and outcomes involved in getting food from “field to plate”, in addition to preparing, eating, and disposing of food and food wastes
all of the nouns and verbs involved in the food supply
how are food systems complex
food systems are a complex adaptive system of independent systems
- there is an interplay
- think of food systems of today, tomorrow, and far future
- think of trading and food systems in different areas all over the world
- there is not one homogenous food system but multiple food systems
- dynamics in the system are non-linear and there are feedback loops
- if elements of the system are altered, the system adapts or reacts
systems thinking
an iterative learning process in which one takes a broad, holistic, long-term, perspective of the world and examines the linkages and interactions among its elements
Identify primary components of food systems
Growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption, and waste
Describe the benefits of applying systems thinking to understand food systems
When the complexity of systems is not taken into account, unpredicted and undesired outcomes often result
dead zone in the gulf of mexico
the bottom waters of the gulf don’t have any fish or crustaceans living in them because all the oxygen has been used up by the phytoplankton that has been dying. This lack of oxygen has been caused by an algal bloom caused from runoff such as fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, etc… along the mississippi river. The runoff enters the river and enters the gulf. It is seen that the dead zone grows during peak agriculture season and shrinks during low agriculture season.
stocks and flows
how much of something do you have and what makes it increase or decrease?
EX: atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations:
Stock=current concentrations
Inflow=activities that increase concentrations (EX: animal agriculture)
Outflow=activities that remove carbon from the atmosphere (EX: planting trees)
feedback loops and processes
a circular process in which output is returned or ‘fed back’ into a system as input
feedback processes
our actions alter the environment and, therefore, the decisions we take in the future
- our actions may trigger side effects that we did not anticipate
- others, seeking to achieve their goals, act to restore the balance that we have upset; their actions also generate intended and unintended consequences
Compare features of contemporary food systems in different parts of the world
Age Race/ethnicity Socioeconomic class Health status Education Where you grew up Religion/spiritual affiliation Cultural background
Identify possible reasons for the shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to agriculture
people started to take-up farming because of:
- larger populations that hunter-gatherer lifestyles couldn’t support anymore
- settling in one location
- over-hunting of animals
- humans were more developed and were able to think of this more advanced lifestyle
- changes in climate
- changing technology
- varied by geography and time
Explain key impacts of the dawn of agriculture
- Disease (zoonotic and human) due to more people in one place
- Aging population
- Environmental consequences
- City-states and governments
- Nutritional variety
- Emergence of currency
- More abundant food supplies
- People were tied to the land-settling
- Big increase in population
- Ability to divide up labor and roles emerged
- All of these together allowed for the emergence of civilization
- humanity’s best interest but not for the earth or animals
- allowed specialization to occur and we wouldn’t be where we are today
- hierarchies and inequality started
- hatred began
Define a foodway
The eating habits and culinary practices of a people, region, or historical period
Who cooked the food, food preparation, how the food was cooked, aroma, spices, etc…
Characterize indigenous American foodways, including three sisters planting
Due to the various types of environments and climates in the US the many tribes varied a lot depending on where they were found in the US
Three sisters farming=growing corn, beans, and squash together
-Corn grows first which provides a pole for beans that they can grow up. Beans add nitrogen to the soil for the corn and squash. THe squash has large leaves that block sunlight and keeps the soil more moist and they have sharp spikes on them that keeps pests away
-Nutritionally work well together
Describe key attributes of indigenous American foodways
Iroquois: farming was done in mounds:
Water was able to seep out of them so they wouldn’t flood but it also held the right amount of water, allowed for planting earlier because it was raised from the ground and they would get warmer from the sun sooner, and less compacted soil meant more airy which allows an easier time for water and nutrients to move through
Pueblo: corn was essential, planted on mesatops, mulched with pumice, waffle/grid gardens
Define the Columbian exchange
The exchange of people, plants, animals, microbes, and ideas between the Eatern and Western Hemispheres following the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492
How would you describe modern Native American cuisine
There isn’t one thing that we think of because of how diverse and different native american diets are depending on where they live
Recall and summarize key food and non-food items transferred between continents as a result of the Columbian exchange
Transfer from New World (America’s) to Old World (Europe/Africa/Asia): chocolate, corn/maize, tomatoes, cassava, potatoes, tobacco, pumpkins, vanilla, chili peppers, avocados, turkeys, sweet potatoes, peanuts
Transfer from Old World (Europe/Africa/Asia) to New World (America’s): grapes, rice, coffee, grains-barley/wheat, sheep, chickens, cattle, horses, pigs, sugar, coconut, citrus, honey bees, slaves, disease
mercantilism
belief in the benefits of profitable trading; commercialism
-relied on: colonies rich in few materials, cheap labor, colonial loyalty to the home, control of the shipping trade
Describe major social, environmental, and economic consequences of the Columbian exchange
- Depopulation of the Americas: Native American population was immunologically defenseless to diseases from Europe and Africa (Smallpox, chicken pox, measles, influenza), Estimated 80-95% of the Native American population were destroyed within 100-150 years following 1492
- the slave trade resulted in african americans getting taken from africa and being brought to the Americas and carribean to work under horrible conditions, long term impacts in africa
- altered ecosystems: animal furs were traded from native americans to europeans in order to get technologies/tools that allowed their tasks as farming to be much easier and introduction of pigs caused a lot of havoc in north america due to them roaming wild and eating everything (reduction of populations due to overhunting and competition)
Describe early American foodways post 1492
- Obtaining enough food in colonial america was challenging
- Servants and enslaved people were brought to the colonies to provide labor for plantations
- Early american foodways were shaped by the local environment and influenced by country or origin and interactions with native people
- Enslaved cooks played a central role in developing southern cuisine and influencing flavors and dishes throughout the country
Describe the important roles of slaves and servants in shaping early American diets
- Enslaved Africans introduced sorghum, melon, and okra (among other things)
- African american slaves that were cooks expected to bake and cook meals throughout the entire day
- If guests came at strange hours they were awoken and expected to prepare guests a meal
- Some chefs were taught by famous chefs in order to ensure they would do a good job
- Enslaved chefs are the ones credited with forming dishes that mixed different cuisines into one
- They kept recipe books that show the various types of meals they would make and eat
Industrialization
the act or process of industrializing: the widespread development of industries in a region, country, culture, etc…
Transition of activities that were once done or crafted by hand (field, kitchen, etc..) and due to this transition production was done through technology and techniques (often through machine labor)
Globalization
the act of process of globalization: the state of being globalized
The process by which technological, economic, political, and cultural exchanges make the world a more interconnected and interdependent place
Monoculture
the practice of growing and harvesting a single species/crop
how most crop and livestock are produced
Polyculture
the growing of multiple species/crops together
Identify factors that contribute to the industrialization and globalization of food systems
- technological innovation
- Environmental strain
- Urbanization
- Shifting consumer demands
- Government policies
- All of these trends can contribute to gains in productivity but not without social, health, and ecological consequences
Technological innovation
Agricultural technology: Farm equipment (work animals to mechanization) Tractor technology Plant and animal breeding (green revolution) Land-grant agriculture Agricultural inputs (green revolution) Production techniques Rural infrastructure and transportation Railroads, national highways Cold storage Food processing and preservation Food preparation
Environmental strain
Historically, increases in production came mainly from expansion to new land
Westward expansion, indentured servants
By the late 1800s poor farming practices had depleted nutrients in the soil and production began to decline
The Dust Bowl of the 1930s is a powerful example of the consequences of poor farming practices
Degradation of agricultural land through human activities continues: deforestation, soil erosion, nutrient depletion, salinization, waterlogging, overgrazing, desertification, and industrial pollution
Urbanization
Farmer Population:
In 1790, farmers made up to 90% of the labor force
In 1870, farmers made up 53% of the labor force
In 1920, farmers made up 27% of the labor force
In 2019, farmers made up 1% of the labor force
Americans increasingly moved into cities over the course of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
In urban settings, households rely on purchased food and are changing the cultures are traditions around food
Shifting consumer demands
As populations move out of poverty, they typically seek greater access to a greater diversity of foods including animal products and convenient, ultra-processed foods
There is also growing interest in consuming healthier diets, especially among the wealthy
Many customers are increasingly disconnected from the production of food yet asked to make choices concerning complex issues regarding the nutritional content and health benefits of food
Government policies
Subsidy-a grant from the government to help with something deemed beneficial to the general public
Farm subsidies-urge farmers to grow (or not grow) certain products
Food subsidies-help consumers afford or choose certain products
Policies on regulations, subsidies, and taxes can shift investment decisions throughout the food system
What and how much to produce
To whom to sell
What to process
How to transport
What to buy
Policies are related budget allocations in infrastructure, procurement, research, and public information also can alter decisions by food system stakeholders
Identify major trends associated with the industrialization and globalization of food systems
- specialization
- mechanization
- chemical and pharmaceutical inputs
- consolidation
- market concentration
specialization
Focusing time, knowledge, skills, and equipment on a small number of enterprises
Monoculture cropping
Industrial food animal production (IFAP)
Also focused on genetics to breed both crops and livestock for the best characteristic
mechanization
Replacing human or animal labor with machines
New technology and new machines
Less people needed for work
Can contribute to gains in productivity
chemical and pharmaceutical inputs
The early 1900s saw the introduction of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides
Use of agricultural inputs skyrocketed over the century in part due to the shift to specialized monocultures
Chemical and pharmaceutical use became commonplace in newly industrialized models of meat, milk, and egg production (EX antibiotic use)
consolidation
Shifting toward fewer and larger farms and businesses; usually the result of large businesses getting larger and small businesses going out of business
“Get big or get out”- Earl Butz, Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Nixon and Ford
Major trend in the second half of the 20th century
What drove the push to consolidate?
New technology allowed farmers to work more land with less labor
Government policies encouraged farmers to scale up their operations
Farmers were motivated by economics of sale
marketshare
the proportion an industry’s sales earned by one company