Population and the environment Flashcards
What is arable farming?
Focusing on growing crops
What is irrigation?
the supply of water to land or crops to help growth, typically by means of channels.
What is pastoral farming?
Livestock
What is subsitence farming?
Farming to meet minimal requirements
What are the different forms of farming?
commercial, subsistence, intensive, extensive, arable, livestock, mixed farming.
What is the mortality rate?
The number of deaths in a given period
What is morbidity?
The rate of disease in a population
What are vector-borne-diseases?
Diseases that can be passed between individuals by parasites
Definition of health?
Someone’s state of physical well-being as well as mental.
How is soil structured?
Through horizons
What are the different horizons in soil?
O horizon (hummus) , A horizon ( Top soil/rich in organic matter), B horizon (subsoil), C horizon (weathered rock)
What are the different soil types?
Tropical Red Latosol, Podsol
What is the global distribution of tropical red latosol soil?
Around the equator
What are the characteristics of tropical red latosol soils?
Thin horizon. Nutrient cycle . Rainfall, evapotranspiration. ‘Leaching’, minerals are washed out, logging, cattle ranching, cultivation
Where are Podsol soils located?
Cool and temperate climates
What are the characteristics of podzol soils?
Layer of needles on O horizon ( pine trees), A horizon acidic, nutrients ‘ leached ‘ ( washed away)
What are the problems facing podsol soils?
Logging, hill sheep farming
What causes soil erosion?
Wind, water , deforestation farming
What problems does soil erosion cause for agriculture?
Loss of arable land, loss of P soil
What are some management against soil erosion?
Fast growing trees, contour ploughing , windbreaks, terraces/ small dams, mulching, new machines , crop rotation
What are the management strategies for waterlogging?
Avoid irrigation, drainage with pipes
What are the causes of salinisation?
Hot conditions, too much irrigation, drying out, not enough rainfall, draining water/leaving salt marsh behind.
What are the problems of salinisation for agriculture?
Saline conditions, salt stops plants absorbing water
What is the Green revolution?
The use of technology , pesticides to increase crop yields ( Norman Borlag-Pioneer)
What is aeroponics?
Growing crops in places with air
What is hydroponics?
Growing crops only using water/ no soil
Describe agriculture as a system
Inputs: physical, human
Outputs: Products from the farm
Processes: Farming methods inputs => outputs
What are factors affecting agriculture?
Temperature, precipitation, wind & storm frequency, soil quality, relief variables (drainage)
What is extensive farming?
Low levels of input, however involves large areas of land
What is intensive farming?
Involves high investment in capital, producing high yields from small areas
What are strategies to ensure food security?
Irrigation=> crop yields
Green revolution (use of technology=> yields)
Other farming techniques ( aquaculture, aeroponics, hydroponics, reducing food waste, international agreements
What is the epidemiological transition model?
The Epidemiological Transition Model describes how disease patterns shift from infectious to chronic illnesses as societies develop and life expectancy increases.
What is the demographic dividend?
Economic growth resulting from an increase in a working population
What is the crude birth rate?
The number of live births each year per thousand of the population in an area.
What is the crude death rate?
The number of deaths each year per thousand of the population in an area.
What is infant mortality?
The number of babies who die before the age of one per thousand births per year.
What is natural change within a population?
The difference between the number of live births and deaths during a given time period (usually one year).
What is the replacement fertility rate?
The level of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself from generation to generation
What is the total fertility rate?
A population is the average number of children that are born to a woman over her lifetime.
What is the demographic transition model?
how birth rate and death rate have influenced the total population of a place and changed over the years
What are the pros of the DTM?
very easy to understand, shows simple change over time, can be easily compared between different countries across the world, and shows how population and development relate
What are the negatives of the DTM?
Does not show cultural beliefs, no reference to migration, HIV/AIDs has had an influence, does not show TIGER countries
What is the carrying capacity
Total number of people an environment can support
What is the ecological footprint?
How fast we consume resources & generate waste compared to how much we produce
What is the ecological footprint measured in?
Global hectares
What is the biotic potential?
The natural reproductive potential of the species
What are density independent factors?
Environmentally limiting factors which aren’t affected by population size and density
What are density dependant factors?
Food supply & disease will become more prelevant
