Unit 6: Agricultural Practices

Question 1

What is the green revolution and why did it start?

Answer 1

There was a shift in farming techniques from small farms relying on human labor to large farms using much more machinery and fertilization, irrigation, and improved crop varieties. Crop scientists studied different methods which worked very well.

Question 2

Mechanization

Answer 2

Replacing human labor with machines that do a lot of the work, usually planting and picking.

Question 3

Irrigation

Answer 3

Watering land in controlled amounts to promote plant growth.

Question 4

Fertilization

Answer 4

Replacing lost organic matter and nutrients. Organic or synthetic.

Question 5

Monocropping

Answer 5

Large plantings of a single species or variety.

Question 6

Pesticides

Answer 6

Substances, natural or synthetic, that kill or control organisms people considered pests.

Question 7

Genetically modified organisms

Answer 7

Changes made to an organism using artificial selection or genetic engineering.

Question 8

Mechanization pros

Answer 8

Quicker, less human labor, usually cheaper overall.

Question 9

Mechanization cons

Answer 9

Fossil fuels, small farms don’t make good profit, only one crop.

Question 10

Irrigation pros

Answer 10

Increase growth rates, more efficient use of water.

Question 11

Irrigation cons

Answer 11

Deplete groundwater, draw down aquifers, saltwater intrusion, waterlogging, salinization.

Question 12

Fertilization pros

Answer 12

Increase crop quality and growth.

Question 13

Fertilization cons

Answer 13

Nutrient runoff, much energy needed for the making, fossil fuels.

Question 14

Monocropping pros

Answer 14

Large areas planted at one time, easy, efficient, productive.

Question 15

Monocropping cons

Answer 15

Soil erosion, more vulnerable to pests.

Question 16

Pesticides pros

Answer 16

Responds to infestations, prevents crop damage, greater crop yields.

Question 17

Pesticides cons

Answer 17

Can kill more than intended, pesticide resistance, can kill beneficial organisms, runoff, food safety concerns.

Question 18

GMOs pros

Answer 18

Increase crop yield, less pesticides, increase profit.

Question 19

GMOs cons

Answer 19

Unsafe consumption concerns, effect biodiversity, regulations.

Question 20

Tilling

Answer 20

Preparing and cultivating land for crops.

Question 21

Impacts of tilling

Answer 21

Bare soil which leads to soil erosion, evaporation, and need for fertilizer; turned soil impacts soil structure and sequestered carbon release as CO2.

Question 22

Slash and burn agriculture uses what as fertilizer?

Answer 22

Ash, which quickly runs out causing them to move farming areas.

Question 23

Sustainable agriculture goal

Answer 23

Feed the world’s population without destroying land, polluting the environment, or reducing biodiversity.

Question 24

Contour plowing

Answer 24

Plowing crops in a way that is not straight up and down, instead going with the land. Reduces erosion.

Question 25

Windbreaks

Answer 25

Trees of fencing that provide protection from the wind. Reduces soil erosion, prevents soil from entering waterways.

Question 26

Perennial crops

Answer 26

Plants that grow back every year. Reduces soil erosion from the roots staying in the ground, increase infiltration, decrease runoff.

Question 27

Terracing

Answer 27

Sloping a piece of land with flat steps to plant into. Decreases runoff, increases infiltration.

Question 28

No-till

Answer 28

The usage of perennial crops to avoid tilling. Does not disturb root networks, decreases erosion.

Question 29

Strip cropping

Answer 29

Planting two or more crops that work together, usually legumes to fix nitrogen as one. Minimizes erosion.

Question 30

Crop rotation

Answer 30

Planting different crops in different growing seasons bit on the same land. Nitrogen fixation, increase biodiversity.

Question 31

Organic manure and limestone

Answer 31

Manure is used as a fertilizer but is natural, limestone is used to change acidity in a natural way. Increases their nutrients.

Question 32

Rotational grazing

Answer 32

Moving the spaces animals graze in. Prevents overgrazing and land depletion.

Question 33

Green revolution practices

Answer 33

Mechanization, irrigation, fertilization, monocropping, pesticides, GMOs.

Question 34

Sustainable agriculture practices

Answer 34

Contour plowing, windbreaks, perennial crops, terracing, not-till, strip cropping, crop rotation, organic manure and limestones, and rotational grazing.