Unit 6: Agricultural Practices Flashcards
What is the green revolution and why did it start?
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.
Mechanization
Replacing human labor with machines that do a lot of the work, usually planting and picking.
Irrigation
Watering land in controlled amounts to promote plant growth.
Fertilization
Replacing lost organic matter and nutrients. Organic or synthetic.
Monocropping
Large plantings of a single species or variety.
Pesticides
Substances, natural or synthetic, that kill or control organisms people considered pests.
Genetically modified organisms
Changes made to an organism using artificial selection or genetic engineering.
Mechanization pros
Quicker, less human labor, usually cheaper overall.
Mechanization cons
Fossil fuels, small farms don’t make good profit, only one crop.
Irrigation pros
Increase growth rates, more efficient use of water.
Irrigation cons
Deplete groundwater, draw down aquifers, saltwater intrusion, waterlogging, salinization.
Fertilization pros
Increase crop quality and growth.
Fertilization cons
Nutrient runoff, much energy needed for the making, fossil fuels.
Monocropping pros
Large areas planted at one time, easy, efficient, productive.
Monocropping cons
Soil erosion, more vulnerable to pests.
Pesticides pros
Responds to infestations, prevents crop damage, greater crop yields.
Pesticides cons
Can kill more than intended, pesticide resistance, can kill beneficial organisms, runoff, food safety concerns.
GMOs pros
Increase crop yield, less pesticides, increase profit.
GMOs cons
Unsafe consumption concerns, effect biodiversity, regulations.
Tilling
Preparing and cultivating land for crops.
Impacts of tilling
Bare soil which leads to soil erosion, evaporation, and need for fertilizer; turned soil impacts soil structure and sequestered carbon release as CO2.
Slash and burn agriculture uses what as fertilizer?
Ash, which quickly runs out causing them to move farming areas.
Sustainable agriculture goal
Feed the world’s population without destroying land, polluting the environment, or reducing biodiversity.
Contour plowing
Plowing crops in a way that is not straight up and down, instead going with the land. Reduces erosion.
Windbreaks
Trees of fencing that provide protection from the wind. Reduces soil erosion, prevents soil from entering waterways.
Perennial crops
Plants that grow back every year. Reduces soil erosion from the roots staying in the ground, increase infiltration, decrease runoff.
Terracing
Sloping a piece of land with flat steps to plant into. Decreases runoff, increases infiltration.
No-till
The usage of perennial crops to avoid tilling. Does not disturb root networks, decreases erosion.
Strip cropping
Planting two or more crops that work together, usually legumes to fix nitrogen as one. Minimizes erosion.
Crop rotation
Planting different crops in different growing seasons bit on the same land. Nitrogen fixation, increase biodiversity.
Organic manure and limestone
Manure is used as a fertilizer but is natural, limestone is used to change acidity in a natural way. Increases their nutrients.
Rotational grazing
Moving the spaces animals graze in. Prevents overgrazing and land depletion.
Green revolution practices
Mechanization, irrigation, fertilization, monocropping, pesticides, GMOs.
Sustainable agriculture practices
Contour plowing, windbreaks, perennial crops, terracing, not-till, strip cropping, crop rotation, organic manure and limestones, and rotational grazing.
