Food and Agriculture

Food Security:

  1. Availability - Resource needs to be available

  2. Access - Money, war, farming, malnutrition

  3. Utilization - Correct balance of diet, hidden hunger (health problems)

  4. Stability - all year around- available, food access, good diet.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)

  • Selective breeding- Mating organisms to receive a desired trait.

    • Wolf to dogs, teosinte (grass) to corn.

  • Mutation breeding- creating new traits, radiation exposure, or adding chemicals.

    • Increased production, tolerance to weather, reduced seed size, and earlier maturity.

  • Genetic engineering (most recent) *Non-GMOS refers to this in products.

    • DNA (gene) from an animal added to another animal

    • Can take out or add a gene through the procedure

    • Agua advantage salmon- growth hormone was altered to increase growth rate.

  • CRISPR- clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats

    • Protein holds RNA. RNA (Ribonucleic acid) is a single-stranded molecule in the body that carries many functions in living cells.

    • RNA matches with certain sequences of DNA.

    • It was approved in 2003 for medical alteration. Rid of sickle cell.

    • Used to alter genes

Pros:

  • less insecticides

  • Reduces footprint- less farmland

  • Grow medications

  • Pathogen resistant crops

  • Farmers increased profit

  • More food/ less poverty

  • Reduce malnutrition

  • Put important nutrients in food

Cons:

  • Hybridization with wild organisms

  • Companies may bias health study

  • Expensive

  • Larger farms benefit more

  • Not developed

Traditional farming: Family-owned, small amount of land, diversity of crops, relies on rain.

Industrial farming: Large corporation, large amount of land, intention is to profit, one crop per season, genetically engineered, use irrigation

Crop biodiversity: different forms of the same crop. Is decreasing. Ex. red/green tomato

Salinization: Build up salt. Irrigation systems caused the build-up of salt through the use of freshwater. The water evaporates, leaving the salt behind.

Subsidence- Land sinking. This is due to the pumping of groundwater. Air fills the gaps left by pumping.

Harbor Bosch Process: a chemical reaction that converts nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia- a colorless, toxic liquid or gas.

NH3 = explosive

In the soil:

  • Mircos- bactericas/fungal

  • Plants absorb through roots

Organic vs Synthetic Fertilizers:

  • Organic (naturall) - feeds the soil

  • Synthetic(man-made)- feeds the plant

Eutrophication: process that occurs when a body of water becomes enriched with nutrients, leading to an overgrowth of algae and other plant life.

  • Algae bloom naturally occurs. The overgrowth of algae can cover the surface of the water, blocking sunlight and killing plants at the bottom.

  • Dead zones- Not enough oxygen due to algae bloom, causing organism to suffucate.

Pesticides- Man-made chemicals used to kill pests.

  • starting to NOT work because of natural selection.

  • Pests are evovling, becoming immune.

  • Kills indiscrimilaty, wanted pests as well.

  • Releases more pollutants into the atmosphere.

Pesticide Atrazine- selectively control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds before they emerge.

  • Changes the sex of certain animals. Frogs.

  • Reduce birth weight

  • Cause birth defects

Sustainable Agriculture

Intercropping: Healthy pest communities

Pest Control: Genetically engineered, trap pests.

Limited tilling: Slit on top of soil, plant seed, then close.

Crop rotation: Soil health, pest control, minamizes weed outcome.