Untitled Flashcard Set

Food & Agriculture Basics

Food insecurity

  • Definition: When people lack reliable access to sufficient, nutritious food

  • Root causes: Poverty (main cause), political instability, war, climate change, unequal food distribution (not global food shortage)

Overnutrition vs. Undernutrition

  • Undernutrition: Not enough calories or nutrients

    • Effects: stunted growth, weakened immune system, vitamin deficiencies, death

  • Overnutrition: Excess calorie intake, often low nutrition

    • Effects: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure

Famine

  • Definition: Extreme food shortage causing widespread starvation

  • Results: Malnutrition, disease outbreaks, mass deaths, migration, social instability

3 grains supplying over half of global calories

  • Rice

  • Wheat

  • Corn (maize)

Types of Agriculture

Industrial agriculture

  • Large-scale, mechanized

  • Uses fossil fuels, fertilizers, pesticides

  • High yield, low biodiversity

Plantation agriculture

  • Large farms growing one cash crop (bananas, sugar, coffee)

  • Often in tropical regions

  • Export-focused

Shifting agriculture

  • Small plots cleared, farmed briefly, then abandoned

  • Relies on natural soil recovery

  • Sustainable at low population densities

Nomadic herding

  • Livestock moved to find pasture

  • Common in dry regions

  • Low environmental impact if not overgrazed

Farming Practices

Crop rotation vs. Slash-and-burn

  • Crop rotation: Alternating crops to maintain soil nutrients → maintains biodiversity

  • Slash-and-burn: Burning vegetation to clear land → nutrient loss & deforestation

Soil

Soil horizons (top → bottom)

  1. O: Organic matter (leaf litter)

  2. A: Topsoil (most nutrients, roots)

  3. E: Leaching layer (nutrients washed out)

  4. B: Subsoil (minerals accumulate)

  5. C: Weathered parent material

  6. R: Bedrock

Soil triangle

  • Sand: Large particles, high permeability, low water retention

  • Silt: Medium particles, good fertility

  • Clay: Tiny particles, low permeability, high water retention

  • Loam = ideal soil (balanced mix)

Good soil vs. bad soil

  • Good soil: Loamy, nutrient-rich, good drainage

  • Bad soil: Too sandy (dry) or too clay-heavy (waterlogged)

Agricultural Revolutions

Green Revolution

  • What: High-yield crops, fertilizers, irrigation, pesticides

  • Pros: Increased food production, reduced famine

  • Cons: Soil degradation, water pollution, reliance on fossil fuels

Economies of scale (monoculture)

  • Large-scale farming lowers cost per unit

  • Leads to monoculture, which increases pest vulnerability

Gene Revolution (Genetic Engineering)

  • Pros: Increased yields, pest resistance, drought tolerance

  • Cons: Reduced genetic diversity, ethical concerns, resistant pests

Animal Agriculture

CAFOs (feedlots) drawbacks

  • Water pollution from manure

  • Antibiotic resistance

  • Poor animal welfare

  • Air pollution (methane, ammonia)

Rising meat consumption

  • More land used for grazing & feed crops

  • Increased deforestation

  • Higher greenhouse gas emissions

Diseases from meat

  • Zoonotic diseases (e.g., salmonella, E. coli)

  • Antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Energy & Resources

Energy subsidies

  • Extra energy input (fossil fuels) used to produce food

  • Industrial agriculture requires more energy than it produces

Industrial agriculture inefficiency

  • High fossil fuel use

  • Water waste

  • Pollution from fertilizers & pesticides

  • Health effects: pesticide exposure

  • Environmental effects: dead zones, climate change

Aquaculture (Fish Farming)

Pros

  • Reduces pressure on wild fish

  • High protein yield

Cons

  • Water pollution

  • Disease spread

  • Antibiotic use

  • Escape of non-native species

Irrigation & Soil Impacts

  • Runoff: Carries fertilizer → eutrophication

  • Eutrophication: Algal blooms, dead zones

  • Salinization: Salt buildup damages soil

  • Waterlogging: Roots suffocate due to lack of oxygen

Fertilizers

Organic

  • Manure, compost

  • Improve soil structure

  • Slow nutrient release

Inorganic

  • Synthetic

  • Fast-acting

  • Increase runoff & pollution

Desertification

  • Definition: Productive land becomes desert

  • Causes: Overgrazing, deforestation, climate change, poor irrigation

Pesticides

5 types

  1. Insecticides – insects

  2. Herbicides – plants/weeds

  3. Fungicides – fungi

  4. Rodenticides – rodents

  5. Bactericides – bacteria

Broad vs. Narrow spectrum

  • Broad: Kill many species

  • Narrow: Target specific pests

Persistent vs. Nonpersistent

  • Persistent: Long-lasting (bioaccumulate)

  • Nonpersistent: Break down quickly

Synthetic pesticides

Pros: Effective, cheap
Cons: Resistance, non-target species, health risks

Pesticide treadmill

  • Pests evolve resistance

  • More/stronger pesticides needed

Alternatives / IPM

  • Biological controls

  • Crop rotation

  • Natural predators

  • Mechanical traps

  • Chemical use as last resort

Laws

FIFRA

  • Regulates pesticide sale & use

Delaney Clause

  • Bans carcinogens in food additives

Food Quality Protection Act

  • Protects children from pesticide exposure

  • Sets stricter safety standards

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

  • Combines multiple pest-control strategies

  • Works best preventatively and long-term

Sustainable Agriculture

  • Meets current food needs without harming future resources

  • Focuses on soil health, biodiversity, and efficiency

Soil Conservation Techniques

Conservation tillage

  • Minimal soil disturbance

  • Reduces erosion, improves soil health

Traditional plow

  • High erosion, soil loss

Key practices

  • Terracing: Steps on slopes

  • Strip cropping: Alternating crops

  • Contour farming: Planting along land contours

  • Agroforestry: Crops + trees

  • Windbreaks: Trees block wind erosion