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69 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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When is believed agriculture began?
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~10,000 yrs ago. happened in places all over the world
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What were the 4 major developments in foraging societies that may have led to ag?
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1. Improved hunting (lead to over-hunting and need for new food sources)
2. Increased skill/technology for collecting, processing and storing wild plants 3. Competition btw groups 4. Growing populations |
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4 therories as to why ag happened?
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1. Eureka Moment (did it once, then never turned back)
2. Climate Change (dried weather=less stuff from nature) 3. Early Urbanization (too many ppl in one spot) 4. Transition Model (slowly incorporated plants into settlements) |
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Domestication
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Genetic shift of plant and animal pops, making them better adapted to our artificial environment and less able to survive in the wild.
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What are the traits an animal must have to be selected for domestication?
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1. simple/easy diet (not like ant eaters)
2 quick growth 3. breed in captivity 4. herding and social hierarchy 5. not panic in enclosures 6. can't be too aggressive |
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What are the traits selected for in plant domestication?
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1. high yields
2. reduced branching (easier cultivation) 3. loss of seed dormancy (all sprout at same time) 4. loss of bitterness/toxins 5. shorter growing season 6. non-shattering seed structures |
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Nikolai Vavilow
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Theorizes that places with the highest wild genetic diversity of a plant species is the center of origin.
Strong advocate for gene conservation and seed banks. |
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What are the 8 Centers of Origin?
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Central America: corn, beans, squash
South America: potato, cassava Mediterranean: oat, rye Ethiopia: sorghum, millet, cowpea, yam Middle East: wheat, barley, lentils, peas East Asia: rice, soybean S and SE Asia: |
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Farming system
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A population of individual farmers that have a similar resource bases, enterprise patterns, household livelihoods, and constraints leading to similar development strategies and policy intervention
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What factors determine the Farming System? (3)
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1. Physical (climate, topography, etc)
2. Social (culture, econ system, etc) 3. Technology (tools, infrastructure) |
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What are the 3 fundamental farming system? (think broad)
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1. Crops (field, horticulture, fruits, etc)
2. Livestock 3. Fish/Aquaculture |
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What are the 4 classes of crops we depend on
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1. Grain
2. Legume 3. Horticulture 4. Non-food crops |
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What are the 5 major grain crops and their origins?
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Wheat: Middle East
Barley: Middle East Corn: Central America Sorghum: Africa/Ethiopia Rice: S. E. Asia |
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What are common legumes and their origins?
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Beans: Central America
Soybeans: Asia Lentils: Middle East Cowpea: Ethiopia Peanut: South America Pea: Middle East |
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Traits selected for in legumes
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1. seeds stay in pods
2. non-dormant seeds 3. structure (free standing rather than vine-like) 4. less chemical defenses 5. larger seeds |
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Alfalfa
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Legumes used for forage
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Horticulture Crops
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fruits, veggies, spices, stimulants (tobacco), medicines
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Centers of Domestication (horticulture crops, lots of info)
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Middle East: fig, date, olive, grape
China: tea, pear, peach kiwi S. E Asia: banana, citrus C. Asia: apple S. America: peppers, pineapples, strawberries N. America: cranberry, melons Africa: coffee melons Europe: almond, lettuce, cabbage |
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Traits selected for in horticulture plants
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1. Larger edible parts
2. Better colors/taste (increase nutrition/medicinal value) 3. Lower chem defenses |
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Hidden Hunger
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Gets enough kcal, but is nutrient deficient b/c doesn't consume enough fruits and veggies
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4 Major classes of animal protein
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1. Large livestock
2. Poultry 3. Fish 4. Animal products (milk, etc) |
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Burdens of livestock
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High methane emissions, large amounts of waste products, lower efficiency compared to plants, increased chance for animal-human diseases (bird flu)
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Origins of livestock
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S.E. Asia: chicken
Middle East: Taurus cow, sheep, goat C. Asia: Indus cow N. America: turkey S. America: guinea pig, llamas |
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Efficiency Ratio of animals (feed:protein)
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Fish: 1.9lb/1lb protein
Poultry: 2.1 lb/1 lb Pork: 3 lb/1 lb Grain feed cattle: 7 lb/ 1 lb (seems low...) |
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3 Aspects we control that affect the productivity of crops
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1. Provision of soil nutrients
2. Provision of water 3. Selection of crop genetics |
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Soil is essential to plant growth because...
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provides a substrate to grow in
sources of nutrients sotres/determines water availability |
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Soil structure
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degree of aggregation of soil particles
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Water Stress vs. Water Scarcity
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Stress: 1,000-1,700 m/person/yr
Scarcity: >1,000 |
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What percent of water is available for human use?
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0.5-1% (70% of which is used for ag)
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Direct and Indirect effects of water scarcity
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Direct: decreased crop yields
Indirect: increased salinization, uses groundwater more than recharge rate |
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Ways to increase water-use efficiency in ag
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1. Planting drought/saline resistant crops
2. Water-Saving practices a. Recession ag (planting as flood waters receed) b. need-based watering (only water when plant needs it most) c. no till/use cover crops 3. Policies |
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Keeling Curve
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longest continuous measurement of CO2 (Hawaii)
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Radiative Forcing
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collective term for disturbances to earth's energy balance
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3 Top GHGs
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CO2
CH4 (methane) N20 (nitrous oxide) |
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
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Evidence for global warming is "unequivocal"
Human activity is "very likely" behind the warming Natural climatic variations play a rile, but do not account for observed patterns |
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Expected increase in average global temp
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1.7-4*C
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Major Sources of GHGs in Ag
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Synthetic fertilizers (N20)
Fossil Fuels (CO2) Biomass burning (CO2) Rice paddies (CH4) Ruminant gas and waste (CH4) |
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Conclusions of Climate Change
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GHG=#1 source
Total rain should increase, but uneven distribution Severe impacts in specific regions (tropics and Africa), but will not hurt total food production |
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Genetic Traits
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Higher yields
Pest/Disease Resistance Salinity/Stress tolerance N efficiency Drought/Flooding tolerance |
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Lodging
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Plants falling over due to wet soils, heavy rains, strong winds, weak stem/top heavy
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Crop improvements from Green Revolution
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1. shorter stems (less lodging, more resources focused to grain production)
2. Eliminated daylight sensitivity (can grow in more latitudes, crops can be grown in diff season/double cropping) 3. Disease and Insect Resistance |
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3 Steps of Plant Breeding
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1. Collect or generate heritable variation for trait of interest
2. Evaluate Variation 3. Select for superior individuals |
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Forms of trait collection in plant breeding (4)
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1. Collection from wild, landraces, or germ banks
2. Hybridize 3. Mutate 4. Genetically engineer |
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Risks associated with biotech crops
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#1 pest resistance
gene flow to related species, antibiotic resistance, non-target organisms hurt, health issues (?) |
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Benefits of biotech crops
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Decreased pesticide use, higher yields/lower food $s, improved nutritional quality, longer self-life
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Primary sources of future ag growth
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New resources (inputs, but NOT LAND)
Knew knowledge and improved technologies |
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We need to ______ ag output in order to meet demands without increases in price
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double
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Reasons people cannot access food
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1. Lack of purchasing power (income)
2. High price of food |
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What are some causes of the high price of food?
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Drop in local production
Lack of infrastructure Market failures/monopolies Poor international trade Competition with biofuels Policy Failures Wars and Conflict Corruption |
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WTO's 3 Pillars of Ag Protection practices
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1. Tariffs
2. Export Subsidies 3. Domestic Farm Subsidies |
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Forms of domestic farm subsidies
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direct payments
price supports loan supports |
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Economic impacts of farm subsidies
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increases supply/lower $ of food
prevents food shortages lessens impact of market shocks |
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US Farm Bill
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Done every 5 years to determine how much $ to give and to whom
1. Commodity program subsidies 2. Conservation subisdies (forests, etc.) 3. Trade subsidies 4. Farm credit supports 5. Nutritional programs (#1) |
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4 Types of Conflicts
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1. War
2. Violence (organized crime, terrorism) 3. Corruption 4. Failed States |
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How does conflict impact food security?
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Reduces access to food by:
Distorting food prices Decreases functioning of markets Can intentionally withhold food (assertion of power) Physical restrictions in production due to violence |
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War and Food
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Indirect deaths from war equal those of battle
Affects children the most |
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Violence and Food
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Disrupts local governance
Impose extra security costs (takes away money from food) Displaces food production with illegitimate activities (drug cultivation) |
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Corruption and Food
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Misappropriation of int. aid
Monopolization of food markets Increases price of food "Grey Market" means less/no taxes pay, take away $ from the public |
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5 Aspects of Globalization
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1. Flow of goods
2. Glow of ideas 3. Flow of capabilities 4. Flow of literacy 5. Flow of institutions and policies that support economic growth |
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Globalization
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Global economic integration by increased trade, forgein investments, and migration caused by increased in technology, decreased in transportation costs and policies that liberalize economies
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Benefits of globalization
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80% to only 20% live on a $1/day
>70 yrs live expectancy (50 in developing) ~2750 kcal (~2100 in developing) |
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Potential sources of inequity in globalized ag system
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1. Trade issues (tariffs and trade quotas, coercive trade agreements)
2. Domestic policies that distort ag markets (subsidies, price supports) 3. Lack of access to technologies (internet, biotech crops) 4. Industry concentration a. Inputs (seeds, agchemicals) b. Outputs (grain, meatpacking) 5. Dislocations (off-shorin of enviro damage) 6. Price tradeoffs c. Retail outlets |
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Responses to perceived inequity of globalization in ag
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Fair trade
Local food Both try to restore link btw producers and consumers |
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Fair Trade
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Market based approach to increase equity by offering higher prices and environmental standards.
Focuses on cash crop exports |
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What are the 3 policies associated with sustainable globalization?
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1. Trapeze (free markets, venture capital)
2. Trampolines (education, retraining, labor markets) 3. Safety Nets (social security, healthcare) |
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What do the Olive Tree and the Lexus represent in Freiman's book?
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Olive tree=identity
Lexus=sustenance/improvement |
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5 Strategies for sustainable intensification
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1. Closing the yield gap in countries that are lagging
2. Boosting yields 3. Reducing waste 4. Changing diets 5. Expanding aquaculture |
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Sustainable intensification
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Producing more food from the same area of land while reducing the environmental impacts
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BRIC
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Brazil, Russia, India, China. Future leading agriculture countries?
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