Unit 2 - AOS 2 - Conventional & Organic Monoculture Flashcards
Conventional monoculture
Involved growing only one type of crop at a time on a specific feild.
Example of an impact of conventional monoculture
Increased rates of bees becoming infected with parasites as they come in contact with each other.
(higher amounts of bees coming in contact with each other)
What is purpose of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides in conventional monoculture farming?
Phosphorus (Flower booster)
- Encourage water intake
- Responsible for fruit and flowers
- Efficiently uses sunlight and nutrients
Nitrogen(Leaf maker)
- Producing green pigments
- Growth of leaves and stem
- Production of new cells and enzymes
Potassium(Root maker)
- Encourages root growth
- Critical for photosynthesis -
- Makes roots stronger and spread
How can synthetic fertilizers lead to eutrophication?
Eutrophication causes dead zones (too many nutrients)
-> If synthetic fertilizers are used (have high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus) and run off occurs into a body of water.
Tilling definition
“The mechanical manipulation of soil with tools to create ideal conditions for seed germination, seedling establishment and crop growth.”
Difference between pesticide, fungicide, and herbicide.
- Pesticide: encompasses all kinds of chemical ,biological agents or disinfectants that get rid of pests.
- Fungicide: Is used to kill the fungi that grow on crops, fruits, or plants.
- Herbicide: targets weeds or other unwanted plants.
GMO? benefit in conventional monoculture?
Genetically Modified Organisms
= “any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques”
Benefits: They change the plants so that they can resist against different diseases.
Organic monoculture definition
“Is the production system that sustains health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects.”
Growing one crop using natural resources to farm sustainably, and technique aims no have no waste.
Fertilizers used in organic monoculture.
- Manure from livestock (rich in phosphorus and water)
- Chemical free fertilizers (reduces risks for consumers, cheaper, circular economy)
- Food Scraps (composted, insulate soil -> also can be fed to worm farm)
Organic Farming Strategy - COVER CROP
“Plant grown to protect the soil from erosion”
- Helps maintain nutrients in soil instead of them be washed away
- Increases soil microbial activity, holding of water.
Organic Farming Startegy - NO TILL FARMING
“Planting seeds without breaking up the soil”
Organic Farming Strategy - CROP ROTATION
“Growing different crops on the same field each year”
- Reduces exhausting nutrients from the soils with single crop growth
Pest management - organic monoculture
Grow or introduce organisms that eat pests
Means healthier plants.
Weed management - organic monoculture
Planting to cover the soil or increased shade precents access for weeds to grow.
Advantages of conventional monoculture
- Cheap compared to conventional farming of a variety of crops
- Faster grow time
- Greater crop yield
Disadvantages of conventional monoculture
- High cost of inputs (fertilizers and pesticides)
- Pesticides kill undesired and desired organisms - limits the effect of pollinators and reduced biodiversity
- Pesticides kill microorganisms which help sequester carbon and fix nitrogen in the soil.
- Crops are more vulnerable to pathogens (diseases) due to low genetic diversity of crop
Advantages of organic monoculture
- Sustainable - support biodiversity
- Circular economy - there is no waste
- Helps trap carbon which reverses climate change effects
- Soil is better at trapping water -> land more protected from drought
- Soil has more roots in it helping protect against heavy rainfall
- Protected from pathogens due to high genetic diversity of crop
- Less inputs
Disadvantages of organic monoculture
- Labour intensive
- Lower yield
- Slow growing time
Ways aboriginals completed farming and agricultural practices
- Left bottoms of vegetables in the ground for regrowth
- Used the bottoms of lakes to grow crops
- Maintained the quality of the soil through strategic planting of species in different areas
- Fish traps man made through use of rocks - at different heights to accommodate for water levels.
- Didn’t clear land and used already clear land or other areas for agriculture
- Thye conserved food sources (flour etc. )
Ways Europeans completed farming and agricultural practices
- Clear land to make room for cattle or agriculture
- Repeated planning the same species on the same area, negatively effecting the nutrients in the soil
- Using pesticides and fertilizers due to the decreased nutrients in the soil; impacting the environment.
