Unit 5: Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes Chapter 14: Topic 5.11 Flashcards
- Seeds are too expensive for poor farmers to use, in part because they are often sterile, so new seeds must be purchased each year.
- Seeds that are resistant to pests and herbicides might lead to the development of superpests or superweeds.
- Might have potential long-term risks to consumers, such as organ problems or reduced immunity to diseases, that have yet to be identified and studied.
Challenges of GMOs
Modern aquaculture, the practice is now the fastest growing form of food production on the plant and responsible for approximately 50 percent of the world’s seafood.
Blue Revolution
- High fish density in enclosures means diseases and parasites thrive and spread easily
- Parasites and diseases can easily spread from fish in the enclosures to the nearby wild stock
- Chemicals and antibiotics used to counter parasites and diseases can damage the ecosystem around the enclosures
- Fish can escape pens and may breed or compete with native stocks of fish
- Excess feed and the concentration of fish waste can produce dangerously high levels of organic matter in local bodies of water
Challenges to aquaculture
- Agricultural Chemicals and Fossil Fuels
- Depletion of Water Supplies
- Loss of Biodiversity
- Soil Degradation and Erosion
- Sustainability and Agriculture
Environmental Challenges
Occurs when the density of animals is greater than even expansive grasslands can support. This damages the grasslands to the extent that the vegetation will not refresh itself even after the animals leave.
Overgrazing
Crops that are non-GMO, produced without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, and use sustainable growing practices. Animals must be fed 100 percent organic feed and ranchers cannot administer antibiotics or hormones to the animals. This type of farming tends to be more labor-intensive than other forms of agriculture, it creates more jobs, but the food produced is more expensive.
Organic Foods
Those for which consumers are willing to pay more because of special qualities or because they are difficult to acquire. Ex: organically grown crops and meats, rare subtropical plants, such as passionfruit, cherimoya, longan, and star fruit, and grass-fed beef and free-range chickens and eggs.
Value-Added Crops
Occurs when farmers process their crops into high-value products, rather than simply selling it as it comes from the field. Ex: Grape production into small wineries, turning strawberries and other fruits into jams and jellies or using tomatoes and peppers to produce salsa.
Value-Added Farming
Seeking out food produced nearby.
Local-Food Movement
Refers to the production of farm goods within an urban area with the goal of providing locally grown food.
Urban Farming
Used to share agricultural products with family, friends, and perhaps those in need rather than as a business. This allows people to grow and harvest their own fresh food, grown organically, if they wish. They also allow economically-disadvantaged citizens to acquire high quality food that otherwise they would have unlikely been able to access. These plots of farmland may be found in many different areas in the city such as parks, abandoned lots, or even on top of buildings.
Community Gardens
Grow crops inside in stackable trays, using greenhouses, artificial lights and hydroponics.
Vertical Farms
Allows crops to grow without soil using mineral-enriched solutions. These processes use less water and less land since trays can be stacked vertically. One criticism is the substantial amount of energy needed to power the lights to grow the crops.
Hydroponics
Brings producers and consumers into a type of partnership. Consumers buy a share, or subscribe to a certain quantity of crops for a season. The food is made available to the consumer throughout the growing season. This ensures the consumers a local supply of fresh products and the farmer receives revenue throughout the season, rather than only at the end.
Community-Sponsored Agriculture
When households lack access to adequate food because of limited money or other resources. These people often have to make the choice between purchasing food or other necessities. Children are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity since it hinders their ability to learn and negatively affects growth.
Food Insecurity
