Soil

Question 1

what is soil made of?

Answer 1

minerals, organic matter, air and water

Question 2

why is soil important?

Answer 2

soil ehances : plant growth, stores 0.005% of the worlds freshwater, is the habitat of millions of micro-organisms

Question 3

soil horizons :

Answer 3

o - organic matter
a - surface soil
b - subsoil
c - parent rock
r - bed rock

Question 4

types of farming :

Answer 4

subsistence, commericial

Question 5

subsistence farming :

Answer 5

for their own food - of the farmers
INPUTS : low use of technology, fertilizers
OUTPUTS : low yields, high soil losses

Question 6

commercial farming :

Answer 6

INPUTS : fertilizers, pesticides, high use of technology
OUTPUTS : pollution runoff, animal waste, soil losses

Question 7

what is soil degredation?

Answer 7

the biological and chemical decline in soil quality

Question 8

main cause of soil degredation?

Answer 8

human activity - agriculture for example

Question 9

agricultural case studies :

Answer 9

monoculture - IOWA Corn
polyculture - Cuba

Question 10

IOWA corn

Answer 10

pesticides, carbon & toxic emmisions - going into lakes due to lack of infiltration
increasing pollution and co2 emmissions

Question 11

Cuba polyculture

Answer 11

reduces pollution, pests, saves money, low use of pesticides

Question 12

PH - if its low is it acid or not?

Answer 12

acid - the lower the PH level (0-7) the more acidic it is

Question 13

define Sustainable Yield

Answer 13

the amount of a natural resource that can be taken from an ecosystem without reducing the base stock.

Question 14

suggest one possible sollution that a technocentrist might give to the problem of overfishing

Answer 14

ex. another way of fish farming - for less waste

Question 15

tractors overpowering farm labour means…

Answer 15

agriculture is being mechanized, more technology is required (especially if farming becomes larger)

Question 16

‘tips’ for increasing agricultural production in less economically developed countries :

Answer 16

more use of pesticides to protect crops and livestock - better export
soil management techniques : agroforestry

Question 17

define soil erosion

Answer 17

gradual process that occurs when the impact of water or wind detaches and removes soil particles - causing the soil to deteriorate - which have become severe problems worldwide.

Question 18

define toxicfication

Answer 18

when toxic chemicals are present in soil (ex. pollutants) and they are in high concentrations - therefore putting humans health at risk

Question 19

define desertification

Answer 19

when a land looses its wildlife, bodies of water and vegetation, due to such drought / land degredation

Question 20

outline the transfers, transformations, inputs, outputs, flows and storages within soil systems :

Answer 20

inputs : minerals, organic matter, water
outputs : erosion, leaching, uptake by plants
transfers : transcolation, leaching
transformation : decomposition, nutrient cycling
storages : minerals, organic matter, organisms

Question 21

how soil can be viewed as an ecosystem?

Answer 21

billions of organisms inhabit the upper layers of the soil, where they break down dead organic matter, releasing the nutrients necessary for plant growth.

Question 22

soil structure depends on…

Answer 22

earthworms activity, amount of sand and clay, dead organic matter

Question 23

different soil types have different levels of primary productivity:

Answer 23

sandy soil – low
clay soil – quite low
loam soil – high

Question 24

terrestial food production systems is influenced by…

Answer 24

socio-political, ecological and economic factors

Question 25

distinguish between the reasons for food waste in less economically developed countries and more economically developed countries

Answer 25

as countries develop, more food is put to waste and more pollution there is
MEDCs have higher levels of consumption, so they produce more waste than LEDCs
- as a country becomes more wealthy, the demand for consumer items increases. This means that items are replaced more frequently - leading to larger quantities of waste.

Question 26

in LEDCs waste production is lower because:

Answer 26

less is bought because people are typically on lower incomes
less packaging is used on products
lower literacy levels means there is less production of written material

Question 27

explain how human population growth will affect food production systems and sustainability.

Answer 27

as the human population grows, along with urbanization and degradation of soil resources, the availability of land for food production per capita decreases.

Question 28

how has increase of science and technology in agriculture helped?

Answer 28

advances in agricultural science and technology have contributed to remarkable increases in food production since the mid-twentieth century. Global agriculture has grown 2.5–3 times over the last 50 years.

Question 29

organic farming :

Answer 29

provides an ecocentric approach
balance that conserves soil fertility, reduces pest outbreaks and takes a preventative rather than reactive approach
creates local markets
reduces food miles

Question 30

polyculture instead of monoculture

Answer 30

growing multiple crops instead of one - less pesticides used as well

Question 31

legislation

Answer 31

ex. controlling pesticides

Question 32

evaluate strategies to increase sustainability in terrestrial food production systems.

Answer 32

1. change in social and individual behavior.
2. local produce and use of farmers markets
3. food Labels
4. use of polyculture instead of monoculture farming involves growing multiple crops rather than focusing only on one.
5. reduction of meat production. The ecological footprint of meat production is significantly greater than for crop production

Question 33

overcropping

Answer 33

this constant farming of the land reduces the soils ability to produce valuable humus for soil fertility as it is constantly being plowed or stripped for crop growth. The soil becomes drier and less fertile.

Question 34

leaching

Answer 34

percipitation -> water moves downwards

Question 35

tilling

Answer 35

prepare and cultivate (land) for crops

Question 36

intensive farming

Answer 36

have more inputs and outputs

Question 37

extensive farming

Answer 37

uses more land with lower density of stocking or planting

Question 38

arable farming

Answer 38

growing crops on good soil to eat or feed directly to animals

Question 39

mixed farming

Answer 39

has both animals and grows crops

Question 40

pastoral farming

Answer 40

raising animals on land that is not suitable for crops