Population and the environment - Environment and population Flashcards
what systems are farms considered to be
open systems
what are the inputs of a farm
physical human and economic factors that determine they type of farming in an area
what are the outputs of a farm
products from the farm e.g. crops cultivated and animals reared
what are the processes of a farm
farming methods - the activities carried out to turn inputs into outputs, vary depending on inputs and also by level of technology available
what is agricultural prouctivity
key measure of the economic performance of agriculture and an important driver of farm income
measured in terms of yeild or by total factor productivity
what is total factor productivity
takes all inputs employed in farms production and compared with total outputs
if TFP in growing/improving - total output growing faster than total input, producer is using inputs more efficiently and precisely or adopt alternative cultivation and livestock raising practices
TFP differs as it takes into account a broader set of inputs used in production
encompasses the average productivity of all inputs employed in production of all crop and livestock commodities
what does TFP improve with
crops
raising livestock
how does TFP improve with crops
higher yielding, disease resistant and drought or flood tolerant crops
more efficient and timely cultivation and harvesting practices
using technologies that indicate precisely when and how much water and fertilizers to apply
how does TFP improve with raising livestock
breeding animals for favorable genetic qualities and behavior
using better animal care and disease management practices
adoption of high quality feeds contribute to greater productivity
what is commercial farming
farmers and agribusinesses maximizing profits
high investment of capital into land, contractors, machinery, agrochemicals, animal welfare
specializing in signal crop (monoculture)
raising one type of animal
what is subsistance farming
direct production of sufficient food to feed family or community involved
any excess product sold or bartered
tribes in Guiana highlands of Venezuela - clear small area of rainforest, burn vegetation to provide fertile ash, cultivate plot for 3-5 years, continual weeding before plot loses its fertility, clear another plot, return to original plot when vegetation has regenerated naturally
what are the different types of farming
commercial
subsistance
intensive
extensive
arable (growing of crops
livestock (animals)
mixed
CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF FARMING AT ONCE
what in intensive farming
high investment into labor, land and capital
produces high yields per hectare from small areas of land
what is arable farming
growing of crops
subsistance (slash and burn shifting cultivation - south america) or commercial (potato cultivation UK)
flatter land
soil of higher quality
what is livestock farming
raising animals
subsistance or commercial
what is extensive farming
low inputs into labor machinery, capital but large into area of land
low yield per hectare
hill sheep farming in upland areas uk
what are the characteristics of a polar climate
long and cold winter
temp falling below -40
glacial ice and a surface layer of snow permanently covering the land
long hours of sunshine in the summer
average temp rising above 0 in summer
permently frozen ground - permafrost
what is the distribution of polar climates
66.5 degrees north and south of equator
northern hemisphere - greenland, northern canada
southern hemisphere - antarctica
how many people live in polar climates
around 13.1 million
spread between 8 countries
population density of less than 4 per square kilometer
as healthcare improved and discovery of vast natural resources number of arctic people started to grow - influx of immigrants
population growth slowed or declined recently
2/3 arctic population live in large settlements
indigenous communities are small and widely scattered
how does farming occur in polar climates
only form of arable farming can occur when farmer makes an artificial environment - Tim Myers farms seven hectares of land in Alaska, nutrient rich soil is frozen so to get to it have to thaw ground by clearing vegetation and spread manure, composted tundra and a slurry of salmon, lake water added and dry molasses to increase biological life
Raised beds and high polytunnels help mitigate the low temperatures and short growing seasons
vast underground root cellar stores expand lifespan of harvest
In north america innuit groups hunt caribou as well as seals in winter and fish in summer
Caribou can be tamed for milking to provide milk as well as meat, skin for clothes and tents, antlers and marrow of the bones
what are the characteristics of a tropical monsoon climate
low pressure summer - winds blow on shore bringing rain
cloudy sky in summer and clear sky in winter
rainy seasons with very high rainfall in summer
hot and wet summer - Mumbai has annual rainfall of 1,811mm with 120mm falling in 4 months
cool and dry winter
high annual temp - 26
temp - 30 in summer, 19 in winter
how is climate change affecting agriculture in polar climates
significant warming of up to 1 degrees Celsius per decade
continuation would result in a warmer wetter climate resulting in thawing of permafrost and glacial retreat, shorter snow season and reduced sea ice
cause change in migration patterns of wildlife
have effect of indigenous population threatening sustainability of existing settlements, infrastructure and lifestyles
sea transport tourism and mineral exploitation could benefit
fishing forestry and agriculture will change
what is the distribution of tropical monsoon climates
between tropics and subtropics that surround the equator
Central and South America, Central Africa, South and Southeast Asia
How is climate change affecting agriculture in tropical monsoon climates
adapt to the monsoon climate and the risks of abnormality in the seasons (e.g. prolonged dry seasons and shorter wet seasons or vice versa) can be detrimental to crops
Rainfall varies - wheat, rice, tea, vegetables and farm animals can suffer from droughts and floods, impacting the farmers’ livelihoods and the region’s food supply
Agriculture adds up to over 15% of India’s GDP
when crops fail because of a lack of rain, the economy suffers.
less predictable weather - jeopardize traditional subsistence rice cultivation
lead to research in less water intensive cultivation
how does the tropical monsoon climate impact human activities
more that 60% of population lives in areas affected by monsoon climate mainly due to urbanisation
during monsoon seasons spread of waterborne diseases carried by mosquitoes increases
warmer temps and shifting weather patterns can worsen air quality - lead to asthma attacks and other respiratory and cardiovascular health affects
Agriculture based around monsoon season - beneficial for crops e.g. rice
Waterlogged land is perfect for growing semiaquatic rice
commercial rice fields that use irrigation have been developed
people move to these areas for better opportunities in farming, better food security - leads to overpopulation, causes poor life quality.
Floods and droughts caused by the monsoon directly affect the population, e.g. the 2014 monsoon caused nearly 300 people to die in Pakistan and India, mainly due to flooding causing landslides
how has climate change affected agriculture
agriculture likely to be the most venerable economic sector due to dependance on climate and weather
why is the Asia pacific region likely to be the hardest hit by climate change
people mainly agrarian
60% of population living in rural areas
around 1 billion people face direct impact due to climate change
consequences to livelihood and way of life
regions population expected to increase by another 850 million by 2050
What is climate smart agriculture
made in 2012 global conference on agriculture food security and climate change held by FDA
approach to address the interlinked challenges related to food security and climate change
economic - sustainably increasing agricultural productivity to support equitable increase in farms incomes food security and development
social - adapting and building the resilience of agricultural and food security systems to climate change at multiple levels
environmental - reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
not take roots in the asia pacific region
what are the impacts of climate change on the asia pacific region
become warmer
rising sea levels - affects growing conditions, affects ability to live on low lying islands
changing rainfall, temp, sea levels - severe water shortages or floods, changing to crop growing seasons or reduced yields
What is a case study for adaption of agriculture to climate change
Mewat, Haryana
low rainfall drought prone area
mean min temp increase at rate of 0.18 every 10 years during monsoon season and by 0.47 during dry season
from 2020 - 2050 min temp increase by 1.87 during monsoon season and 2.72 during dry season
IARI developed custom set of interventions to conserve resources, adapt to climate change and improve livelihoods
superior seed varities tested and made available at village seed banks
heat stress tolerant wheat introduced - increase yields by 12-18%
farmland levelled using lasers - improves water efficiency by 5-15%
underground pipelines laid in fields - delivers drip integration - 40% savings, irrigated area increase by 45%, labor hours required for irrigation reduced by 28%
crop diversification - high yielding varieties of chili tomato and onion accompanied by improving produtction technology (starting seedlings in a nursery, raised bed planting) increases household profits by £320 per hectare 44-86% higher than those who maintain conventional cropping
access to info and communications technology platform mkRISHI - connects farmers to weather forecasting and agricultural production advisery services
why is soil important
in a gram of soil there are as many as 50,000 species of microorganisms
soil hosts over 1/4 of planets biodiversity
microorganisms make antibiotics which used in medicine
takes more than 100 years to build 5mm of soil
stores 3x as much carbon as all plant
loosing soil 10-15x faster than it can be rebuilt
sustain 95% of food prodution
what are the three types of soil
zonal
intrazonal
azonal
what are zonal soils
mature soils reflecting climatic conditions and associated vegetation
what are intrazonal soils
reflecting the dominance of other factors e.g. characteristics of the parent rocks
what are azonal soils
generally immature and skeletal with poorly developed profiles
what is the structure of podsol
thin litter of pine needles
thick black layer of mor (acid) humus
dark staining from down washed humus few soil organisms in acidic conditions
bleached horizon becoming sands as finer materials are washed downwards
increasing acidity as goes further down
waterlogging may occur
organic matter redeposited
hard pan of iron
layer of aluminum
accumulation of clays stained by iron oxides
weathered bedrock - throughflow of soil water loss leads to a loss of nutrients
parent material
