Farming SJCHS. Plants Uses of plants Food Fuel (fossil fuels, wood, biofuels) Clothing Building Medicine.

Farming

SJCHS

Plants

• Uses of plants• Food• Fuel (fossil fuels, wood, biofuels)• Clothing• Building• Medicine

Video- Egypt: Food for a Revolution

Nutrition

• Malnutrition: A lack of specific nutrients • Can occur in people who have enough food but not nutritious food

• Undernutrition: A lack of food

NutritionFood Function Source

Proteins/Amino acids

Growth and repair of tissue

Meat, beans, fish

Carbohydrates Energy Vegetables, grains

Fats Energy Oils, animals

Minerals/Vitamins Many Fruits, vegetables, Suppliments

Nutrition

•Cereal crops: Grains used for food

Cereal crop Location grown Importance

Wheat Temperate regions (USA, Europe, Canada, Russia)

Bread, pasta

Economies depend on wheat trade

Some types have protein

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NutritionCereal crop Location grown Importance

Maize/Corn Tropical and subtropical (USA, China, Eastern Europe/Western Asia)

Animal feed

Fuel

Nutritionally poor- lacks amino acids

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NutritionCereal crop Location grown Importance

Rice China

East Asia

Major source of food for East Asia

Requires little post harvest processing

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NutritionCereal crop Location grown Importance

Sorghum Arid regions

(Africa, Middle East, Central America)

Food

Animal feed

Industrial Uses

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Nutrition

• Currently:• 6 million people die of starvation each year• 845 million are undernourshed mainly due to a lack of proteins, fats, minerals/vitamins

https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodtracker.aspx

http://cironline.org/reports/map-world-food-statistics-2971

Farming

• Types of Agriculture• Industrialized/ High-Input: Farmers grow crops to sell

• High technology (machines), high input, high yield (amounts of food)

• Traditional/Subsistence: Farmers make only enough food for their families

• Low technology, low input, low yield

FarmingPros Cons

Industrialized High yield (high amount of food)

Foods cost less for consumers

Individual families do not have to farm

High technology (uses machines)- has high costs

High inputs of fuel, water, fertilizer, pesticides

Environmental problems

Video- Industrial Agriculture in the US

Farming

• First Green Revolution: 1950-1970• In developed countries • Farmers started to practice industrialized agriculture • Growth of monocultures (only growing 1 type of crop)

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Farming

• Fertilizers• After a harvest, nutrients are removed, chemical cycles are disrupted• Fertilizers replace nutrients (especially nitrogen)

• Organic: Manure, compost• Inorganic: Man-made chemicals

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Farming

•Pros• Increase crop yield

• Cons• Pollute water• Costly• Decrease soil quality

Farming

• Pesticides: The use of chemicals to kill species that destroy crops• LD50 (Lethal dose 50%): A test that determines how much of a pesticide kills 50% of a population

• Lower numbers means more toxic• Persistence: How long chemical stays in the environment

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Farming

•Pros• Increase crop yield

• Cons• Populations become resistant• Costly• Some have high persistence• Some can affect other species than the targeted pest

Farming

• Second Green Revolution: 1967-Today• In developing and developed countries • Started by Norman Borlaug in Mexico

Farming

• Scientists breed specialized versions of crops that are high yielding for the climate they will be growing in • Farmers in developing nations also start to use industrialized agriculture methods

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Normal Borlaug video

Farming

•Gene Revolution: Scientists are creating genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

• Pros: GMOs have a higher yield, are pest resistance, grow in harsh climates (droughts), or have more nutritional value• Cons: Costly, can require specific levels of water/fertilizer

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Video- GMOs

Video- Factory Farms and Organic Alternatives

Farming

• Major problems with Industrial Agriculture• Overuse of fertilizers, water, and pesticides• Preemptive use of pesticides• Soil degradation

Farming

• Sustainable farming: Using farming practices that considers the long term ability of a farm to produce food AND the health of the ecosystem around the farm

• Polycultures (plant different crops) • Organic fertilizers• Efficient use of water• Conserves soil

Industrial Farming in India

Farming

• Fertilizers and pesticides can pollute water and harm organisms (including humans)

Farming

• Biomagnification: The concentration of a high-persistent toxic chemicals increases for organisms higher on the food chain

• Chemicals: Pesticides, PCBs, Mercury

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DDT video

Farming

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Alternative to using large amounts of pesticides

Steps:1. Monitor crops for pests2. Use cultivation controls (hot water, vacuum pests, remove by hand, trap)3. Biological controls (introduce natural predators or pathogens)4. Use small amounts of pesticides in a limited area

Videos- Urban Agriculture