Chapter 10. Farming: Conventional and Sustainable Practices SmartBook 2.0type

new varieties of soybeans were developed to grow in the region's iron-rich soils

The Cerrado in Brazil became a major agricultural area when ______.

a few years

In a healthy grassland environment, building a few millimeters of soil can take Blank______. (Select the best answer.)

decompose and recycle leaf litter, releasing nutrients back into the soil for plant use

Soil fauna, such as bacteria, algae, and fungi, are important to soil health because they Blank______.

A

The soil layer that is rich in organic matter and from which most of your food is grown is called the blank horizon.

crops

About 11 percent of the earth's land surface is used for Blank______.

Moderate

What type of climate is linked to the best agricultural land?

years; thousand years

Building a few millimeters of soil can take anywhere from a few Blank______ (in healthy grasslands) to a few Blank______ (in a desert or tundra).

degradation

The process by which land gradually becomes less fertile as soil washes and blows away, salts accumulate, organic matter is lost, and soil is lost to land conversion is land Blank______.

Soil bacteria and algae recycle leaf litter and make nutrients available to plants.

Microscopic organisms provide soil with structure and loose texture.

Worms and nematodes create air spaces as they burrow through soil.

Which of following roles do living organisms play in the development of healthy soil?

desert

As a result of desertification, the edge of the Gobi Blank has advanced to within 100 mi of China's capital city of Beijing.

billion

The livelihoods of about 1 Blank______ people are threatened by desertification, or the conversion of productive lands to desert.

irrigation

The largest single use of freshwater withdrawal in the world is for Blank______.

Erosion

Every year, about 3 million hectares of cropland are made unusable by this process, which takes soil away from the surface via wind and water.

desertification

The conversion of productive land to desert, and the blowing of sand out of drylands and deserts to other places, is defined as .

the application of fertilizers

Important nutrients for plant growth, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to the soil by Blank______.

one-third

Around the world, about Blank______ of earth's surface is threatened by desertification, or conversion of productive lands to desert.

True or False: Modern farming is an energy-intensive process that uses fossil fuels for both fuel and fertilizers.

True

Reason:

From farm machines to fertilizers, modern farming techniques rely heavily upon traditional energy resources.

two-thirds

About Blank______ of all freshwater withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and groundwater is used for irrigation of cropland.

contour

One of the main strategies to reduce soil erosion is plowing, which involves plowing across hillsides rather than up or down.

nitrogen

phosphorus

potassium

Most fertilizers are designed to add critical plant nutrients to soil such as Blank______.

soil

With careful farming practices, such as erosion control and reduced tillage, Blank is a renewable resource that can be sustained indefinitely.

energy

As reflected by the fact that the average food product in the United States travels over 2,400 km from farm to table, food processing and distribution also are -intensive in regards to fossil fuels.

plowing across a hillside, rather than up and down

one of the primary methods to reduce soil erosion

Contour plowing is Blank______.

greenhouse or carbon dioxide

Carbon farming describes practices that add organic content to soil, at the same time counteracting the buildup of gases in the atmosphere that lead to a warming climate.

pests or insects

People in ancient cultures used sulfur, ash, arsenic, and other natural materials to control .

soil fertility can be sustained with careful management and renewed over long periods of time

The rice-growing practices of farmers in many East Asian countries are one example of how Blank______.

the pesticide was found to negatively impact wildlife

In the United States, DDT was banned in the 1960s because Blank______.

organophosphates

The most common group of synthetic pesticides used in the United States are Blank______, which includes glyphosate (i.e., Roundup).

carbon

Organic materials are rich in Blank______, so increasing the amount stored in soil will not only improve soil quality but also mitigate climate change.

for thousands of years

People have used chemicals to control agricultural pests Blank______.

DDT

The pesticide commonly known by only three letters, Blank was mass produced during World War II and quickly adopted by farmers afterward, being applied to crops, houses, livestock, and even people.

stable

organic pollutants

easily absorbed into fatty tissues

POPs are Blank______. Persistent Organic pollutants

organophosphates

Pesticides that are based on the element carbon and containing phosphate are called

Destruction of nontargeted organisms

Creation of pesticide-resistant populations

Need for stronger and greater amounts of pesticides

Which of the following statements are undesired effects of widespread pesticide use?

pesticides

Human health effects such as cancer, birth defects, Parkinson's disease, and immunological problems may be caused by chronic exposure to Blank______.

Multiple choice question.

highly processed foods

80

How much of the food consumed worldwide (2015) was produced on family farms?

it is too labor intensive

it is too inefficient to feed large populations

Some of the criticisms leveled at organic agriculture include that Blank______.

pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or insecticides

Many workers in Latin American greenhouses suffer from blurred vision, nausea, headaches, and asthma because they are constantly exposed to blank which are heavily applied to flowers almost daily.

organic

According to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules, if a food product's contents are least 95 percent organic ingredients it can be labeled "Blank______."

produced about 80 percent of the world's food

were largely organic

The 500 million family farms that existed in 2015 Blank______.

rotation

Growing a different crop in a field each year in a two- to six-year cycle is the practice of crop .

biological

Predator insects such as wasps, ladybugs, and praying mantises, as well as pathogens, are used to control pests more cheaply and safely than broad-spectrum, synthetic chemicals. This method is called Blank______ control.

careful monitoring of pest populations; mechanical techniques such as crop trapping

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a type of agriculture that relies upon Blank______ and Blank______.

receive higher prices for their crops

produce lesser quantities of crops and animal products

have lower production costs

Compared to intensive agriculture, low-input farms Blank______.

practice organic or low-input agriculture

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms generally Blank______.

farms, agriculture, farmers, or farming

Supporting small-scale, artisanal farms is one of the best ways to preserve rural landscapes around cities.