Unit 2 Part 1: systems analysis and sustainability

Question 1

a healthy and natural ecosystem definition

Answer 1

a functional system of complementary relations (structure) between living organisms and their environment, delimited by arbitrarily chosen boundaries, which in space and time appear to maintain steady yet dynamic equilibrium(function)

Question 2

3 key concepts of a healthy ecosystem

Answer 2

1. a system involving relationships between organisms and their environment
2. a set of boundaries that indicate what is and is not in the ecosystem
3. an EQB status meaning that the system sustains itself

Question 3

agro-ecosystem definition

Answer 3

a site of food production (ie farm) understood as an ecosystem. essentially an ecosystem managed by humans for the purpose of producing food

*based on the Ecological paradigm (looking at the system as a whole)

Question 4

how does systems analysis relate to paradigms?

Answer 4

epending on which paradigm we use, a system can be analyzed in different ways and have different boundaries, components and interactions. For example, through an agroecological lens a farm is an agroecosystem. Thus, inputs (ie: fertilizers) affect more than just the soil but also nearby water quality and municipal water system (and how this affects the fish and water distributed to to people and homes).However, through Newtonian-Mechanical paradigm, a farm is not an ecosystem and applying fertilizer only affects the solid and yields, no further interactions or components.

Question 5

to analyze a system, there are 4 characteristics to look for:

Answer 5

1. Boundary: the physical or conceptual boundary that draws a line of what’s included in the system
2. Components: individual parts of the system. affects/can be affected by its relationship to other components
   for example, in a public transit system, buses, drivers, commuters are all components of the system.
3. interactions: components interact. for-example in a public transit system, the number of commuters will affect the number of buses on the road and the number of drivers that are hired.
4. goal: the reason for looking @ something like a system

Question 6

why use a systems approach?

Answer 6

• facilitate decision making
• improve results
• predict consequences of change within the system

Question 7

why apply systems analysis to food issues?

Answer 7

1. allows us to recognize that there’s more than food at stake (also social and environmental issues)
   - jobs in production, processing, dietetics, etc
   - pesticides, fertilizers misuse
2. enables us to identify constraints to food production
   - physical: land or energy shortages
   - social + economic: religious, cultural, shortage of skilled farmers, difficulty paying for/accessing local food production by consumers
3. enables us to determine the impact of policy on many aspects of society
4. provides direction for leaders by:
   - encouraging inter-disciplinary collab
   - encouraging decision-makers to e more concerned with the social and environmental consequences of their choices
   - identify constraints needing funding or help
   - helping understand why food systems vary between places and time to best view national or regional systems within a global context

Question 8

what is a subsystem

Answer 8

a portion of a total system that has the capability of functioning separately for certain specific purposes
- includes goals, components, and their interactions

Question 9

example of a subsystem

Answer 9

B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, can be considered a subsystem having a special function, but it is still an integral part of the overall B.C. government system

the livestock farm system has 3 subsystems:

1. animal production
2. land/soil/crop subsystem that provides for the animals
3. the financial/commercial subsystem that allows for $ to finance the operation and marketing of the animal products to generate revenues

Question 10

What are models?

Answer 10

• simulate the real thing

- easier to understand and manipulate systems that are being analyzed.

Question 11

scale models

Answer 11

ie: architects drawing/model of a building on a small scale
OR
chemists large scale model of a glucose molecule

Question 12

written or recorded models

Answer 12

ie:

maps, diagrams, movies, videos, mathematical expressions, etc

Question 13

specialized software

Answer 13

ie: tax software that calculates for you the amount of income tax you owe to the government or the amount of money the government owes you.

Question 14

A clear picture of a system consists of what?

Answer 14

a clear set of linkages among all the components of a system

Question 15

what are linkages in a system?

Answer 15

interactions

Question 16

what is data modelling?

Answer 16

identifying the components and interactions of a system or describing the nature of the relationships that exist in a system
= produces an overall picture of the system

Question 17

example of data modelling

Answer 17

basic components of the system will be shown in boxes connected to each other by arrows to reveal the nature of the relationships (called interactions) that exist among them.
= overall pic of the system

Question 18

what type of flashlight beam is a systems approach

Answer 18

broad, diffuse flashlight

Question 19

agroecosystems are sustainable if they can what?

Answer 19

ensures the system keeps functioning during tough times.

1) is able to adapt as ECONOMIC conditions change
2) fair to all so that no SOCIAL issues threaten the system
3) respects NATURE so that no social distribution of ecosystem can bring the system down

Question 20

Three conditions needed to ensure long-term sustainability

Answer 20

1) is able to adapt as ECONOMIC conditions change
2) fair to all so that no SOCIAL issues threaten the system
3) respects NATURE so that no social distribution of ecosystem can bring the system down

Question 21

how to assess systems (three-legged stool) (3 pillars of sustainability)

Answer 21

1. environment
   - reduce pollution + waste
   - renewable energy
   conservation
   restoration
2. economy
   - employment
   - profitable enterpriser
   - infrastructure
   - fair trade
   - security
3. community and social sustainability
   - good working conditions
   - health care
   - eduction
   - community + culture.

Question 22

what’s the goal of sustainable systems? (the triple bottom line)

Answer 22

1. Planet (environmental performance)
2. people (social performance)
3. profit (economic performance)

Question 23

what are the key elements of environmentally sustainable agricultural production?

Answer 23

• Proper soil management
• Integration of crop and livestock production (manure = fertilizer
• Crop rotations are beneficial to soil microbes
• Reliance on internal resources of the farm or community (minimal from exports)

Question 24

Key environmental challenges associated with food produced using the dominant Newtonian-Mechanical paradigm:

Answer 24

• removing natural vegetation for agricultural land (=loss of biodiversity)
• the spread of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides beyond the boundaries of the root zone
• the depletion of precious freshwater aquifers(ie: to produce almonds in California)
• loss of precious fertile topsoil due to excessive cultivation, soils left bare during off seasons in temperate climates or overgrazing by animals
• animal factory farms have excessive amounts of manure but no land nearby to use it a fertilizer
• methane released by cattle

Question 25

economic sustainability

Answer 25

• most powerful determinant of the success of a given food production system
• related to the ability of the system to continue to generate profit over time. (or else it wont last long)

Question 26

social sustainability

Answer 26

• most difficult to define and assess
• consists of social and individual well being
• ie: quality of life, satisfaction from involvement with the enterprise, equity, social acceptance and support of the enterprise

“Are food producers and food processors treated fairly in terms of wages?”

Question 27

Key social challenges associated with food production include:

Answer 27

• availability and affordability of food that promotes health vs. cheap fast food
• lack of government support for regional food systems in the face of international food systems
• lack of food produced regionally in supermarkets
• consumer preferences driving demand for exotic foods that give rise to price increases in developing countries (for example, quinoa) or unsustainable productions systems (for example, almond milk)

Question 28

indicators of sustainability

Answer 28

Indicators are criteria that help determine if a system is healthy i.e. if a system is sustainable or not.
can be measured

Question 29

what is the agricultural treadmill?

Answer 29

metaphor: farmers being forced to run faster than the up the down escalator/stay on the treadmill in order to increase profits or remain solvent

aka “cost-price squeeze”: those who cannot compete are driven out, leaving their land to be taken by others who can know benefit from new economies of scale and lower unit costs

Question 30

features of the agricultural treadmill

Answer 30

• farmer competition promotes non-sustainable forms of agriculture (pesticides, loss of biodiversity, unsafe foods)
• treadmill = loss of local knowledge + cultural diversity
• NOT consumers, BUT input suppliers, food industries and supermarkets, capture the added value from greater efficiency (costs of food are inputs is higher but the cost of food is cheaper due to high volume so hard for producers to get enough pay)
• treadmill advantages diminish quickly as the number of farmers decreases and the homogeneity of the survivors increases. (limited life cycle)
• global treadmill unfairly confronts farmers with others who are in diff stages of tech. development and diff access to resources. labour productivity in the North is greater = small farmers in the South don’t have a chance of developing their agriculture.
• short term adaptations = dangerous to long-terms global food insecurity and environmental sustainability

Question 31

what is The Green Revolution imperative?

Answer 31

represented a choice to breed seed varieties that produce high yields under optimum conditions.

*** That being said, for the majority who are hungry, “miracle” seeds are meaningless without control
over land, water, tools, storage and marketing.

Question 32

triple context

Answer 32

An enterprise or a product has sustainable value when it is obtained in a context where the natural environment is respected, the social and political systems allow for fair treatment of people and animals and operations can withstand economical ups and downs.

Question 33

triple bottom line

Answer 33

happy employees and customers, healthy environment and sufficient profit to allow the enterprise to flourish.