Unit 5 Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Agricultural Sustainability in a Global Market

14.1 Consequences of Agricultural Practices

Altering the Environment

• Agroecosystems: Modified ecosystems for agricultural use; shaped by local farming activities.

• Shifting Cultivation:

  • A form of subsistence agriculture; can lead to soil degradation if land lacks recovery time.

  • Mainly in peripheral and semi-peripheral regions: South America, Central and West Africa, Southeast Asia.

• Slash and Burn Farming:

  • A type of shifting agriculture that permanently alters landscapes.

  • Causes serious environmental issues like deforestation and soil erosion.

  • Practiced on marginal land in tropical rainforests of Latin America, Africa, Asia; historically and currently by tribal communities.

• Terracing:

  • Carving hillsides into flat growing areas.

  • Common among subsistence farmers, especially in mountainous areas.

  • Represents cultural heritage and community participation.

• Irrigation:

  • Affects surface landscapes; essential for subsistence and commercial farming.

  • Reservoirs: Artificial lakes for irrigation, created by damming streams/rivers.

  • Water diversion can lower fish populations and threaten water resources.

  • Aquifers: Underground water sources; can be depleted without recharge.

• Draining Wetlands:

  • Converting saturated land into agricultural area; leads to habitat loss for various species.

  • Increases flooding and storm damage risk.

• Pastoral Nomadism:

  • Subsistence practice in dry regions (e.g., Southwest Asia, North Africa).

  • Risks include overgrazing and desertification, affecting biodiversity and soil erosion.

Environmental Consequences

• Pollution:

  • Runoff from fields contains chemicals, nutrients, and pathogens.

  • Land Cover Change: Alters surface due to agricultural practices; can lead to saturation and landslides.

  • Deforestation from slash and burn techniques causes significant land cover change.

• Soil Salinization:

  • Irrigation in dry areas leads to salt accumulation in the soil.

• Desertification:

  • Occurs when water usage surpasses replenishment rates.

Conservation and Sustainability Efforts

• Global policies aim to mitigate agriculture's environmental impacts.

• Debt-for-Nature Swaps: Financial arrangements aiding conservation.

• Conservation incentives encourage sustainable practices in commercial farming.

• Focus on maintaining soil fertility and preventing erosion in subsistence farming.

Societal Consequences

• Agriculture influences diets and lifestyle choices; shifts in consumer diets respond to agricultural innovations.

• Gender roles vary significantly in agriculture.

• Changes in agriculture structure can disrupt rural economies; monocropping increases vulnerability to price shifts.

14.2 Challenges of Contemporary Agriculture

Debates over Innovations

• Biotechnology: Manipulation of organisms to produce pest-resistant crops.

• Genetic Modification: Encompasses all genetic manipulations in crops.

Arguments in Favor of Biotechnology and GMOs:

• Increased yields, resistance to pests, improved nutrition, reduced production costs.

Arguments Against Biotechnology and GMOs:

• Unknown environmental impacts, potential loss of agricultural biodiversity, intensified use of chemicals, threats to native ecosystems due to genetic transfers.

Aquaculture

• Arguments For Aquaculture: Requires less space; consistent food supply.

• Arguments Against Aquaculture: Water pollution, impact on native species' gene pools, disease transfer risk to wild populations.

Precision Agriculture

• Uses technology for precise farming practices, optimizing yields while minimizing waste.

• GIS tools assist in analyzing field characteristics.

• Challenges include high costs and technology usability for small farmers.

Food Choices

• Local Food Movements: Emphasizes local produce; includes Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

• Growth of organic products and fair trade offerings; higher consumer willingness to pay.

• Value-added crops: Transformed into higher-value products; require diverse skills.

14.3 Feeding the World

Food Insecurity

• Food Security: Consistent access to safe, nutritious food; an active lifestyle's support.

• Food Insecurity: Disruption in food access, primarily due to financial reasons.

Causes of Global Food Insecurity:

• Distribution challenges, economic choices, adverse weather from climate change, instability, land loss to suburbanization.

Economic Impacts on Food Production

• Poor storage and transport impact food availability; inadequate infrastructure is a prevalent issue in peripheral countries.

• Economy of Scale: Larger yields reduce costs; conditions favoring large-scale production practices.

Government Policies

• Farm subsidies disproportionately support large farms, leading to specific crops' overproduction.

14.4 Women in Agriculture

A Variety of Roles

• Women contribute over 50% of global food production; face gender-specific challenges, particularly in peripheral regions.

• Limited land rights, access to resources, and rigid gender roles create barriers to success.

Empowering Rural Women

• Empowerment: Decision-making authority in agriculture and finances leads to improved community outcomes.

• Steps to empowerment include education, capital access, and policies fostering gender equality.

Chapter 14 Key Vocabulary

• Agricultural Biodiversity: Variety of crops and livestock within farming systems.

• Agroecosystem: Ecosystem modified for agricultural use.

• Food Insecurity: Inadequate access to nutritious food.

• Precision Agriculture: Advanced agricultural practices for enhanced efficiency.