AGRICULTURE & RURAL LANDUSE (UNIT 4) REVIEW AP HUG

Main Ideas & Essential Questions Main Ideas: Agricultural revolutions Agricultural types (commercial v. subsistence) Factory farming Biotechnology/GMOs Local/urban farming Essential Questions: What influences the food choices you make? Was the Green Revolution a curse or a blessing? Support your answer with specific evidence. How does agriculture intersect with other identities such as gender and socio-economic status?

Importance of Agriculture Today agriculture remains the most important economic activity in the world Agriculture employs 45 percent of the working population (only 2% in US) In some parts of Asia and Africa, over 80 percent of the labor force is engaged in agriculture

Agricultural Revolutions Agriculture has passed through a series of revolutionary changes Not everywhere at the same time Some places still largely unaffected Transition from predominantly subsistence activity to predominantly capital-intensive, market-oriented commercial agriculture Three distinct revolutions

First Agricultural Revolution Replaced hunting and gathering Involved plant and animal domestication Emergence of seed agriculture (wheat, rice) Use of the plow Resulted in modest population increase and outmigration

Second Agricultural Revolution Technological changes (starting 1600s in Western Europe; spread by 1800s to North America) Occurred as Industrial Revolution was happening Began with new methods: crop rotation, better horse collars Later innovations: replace human labor with machines, supplement natural fertilizers & pesticides with chemical Beginnings of commercialization of agriculture (production of surplus for trade); enabled widespread urbanization

Second Agricultural Revolution Late Middle Ages Modification of subsistence farming practices Crop rotation Use of natural and semi-processed fertilizers New tools and equipment Dramatic increase in crop and livestock yields Transportation technology linking farm and urban commercial food market

Third Agricultural Revolution Origins in North America Industrialization of agriculture Mechanization Replacement of human labor with machines Chemical farming Use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides Food manufacturing Addition of economic value through processing, canning, refining, packaging Green Revolution Plant breeding Biotechnology Genetic manipulation

Third Agricultural Revolution Since 1960s - hybridized grains for better yields (“Green Revolution”) - greater reliance on synthetic fertilizers - genetically engineered crops - vertical integration of ownership (Cargill, ConAgra) - globalization of production A partial list of ConAgra’s brands Swiss MissHunt’s Van Camp’sMarie Callender’s WessonHebrew National Slim JimEgg Beaters RosaritaChef Boyardee ReddiWipPam Peter PanOrville Redenbacher’s Healthy ChoiceBanquet

What is the Green Revolution? “The application of science and technology to creating High-Yielding Varieties of major food staples (mainly grains) In other words, to get more food out of the same area of land—increasing the productivity of land.

Advantages of the Green Revolution Yields are 2-4 times greater The shorter growing season Farming incomes have increased Diet of rural communities is now varied Local infrastructure has been upgraded Employment has been created for industries that supply farms with supplies and machinery

What did it do? It produced spectacular increases in yields and production, and we must not lose sight of that. There is no doubt that it made more food available than would have existed without it.

Principal Beneficiaries of the Green Revolution

Disadvantages of the Green Revolution High amounts of fertilizers and pesticides are needed to optimize production. This is both economically and environmentally costly New varieties require more weed control and are more susceptible to pests and disease Middle and higher-income farmers have benefited more than low-income farmers Mechanization of farming has increased rural unemployment Some new varieties have inferior taste

The Green Revolution: The Latest Concern A 1992 UN report found that even in countries where food intake had risen, diseases associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies had increased. These deficiencies were linked to consumption of Green Revolution crops, which are low in vitamins and minerals Because these crops have replaced common produce, many people in the developing world have extremely low levels of zinc, iron, and vitamin A

AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS

Primarily for direct consumption by a local population food to feed your family, usually small scale and low tech Subsistence Agriculture Primarily for purpose of selling products for money, often monocultures for economies of scale Commercial Agriculture Agriculture & Rural Land Use – Key Topics

Subsistence – predominantly low-income regions Intensive subsistence – subtropical monsoon areas Shifting cultivation – tropical forests & savannas Nomadic herding – semiarid and arid lands Commercial – predominantly high-income regions Crop farming – more humid climates Livestock ranching - drylands

Agribusiness The interconnected industry of food production involving farmers, processors, distributors and retailers.

Plantation Farming Large farm that specializes in one or two crops Less so today than in the past - cotton, sugarcane, and tobacco Commercial agriculture found in the tropics and subtropics Generally situated in LEDCs but often owned and operated by European or North American transnational corporations Crops produced for sale primarily in MEDC’s A cash crop is a high-valued crop such as coffee, tea, cotton and sugar that is sold in the international market. Plantation Farming

Organic Agriculture relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms

Intensive Agriculture is an agricultural production system characterized by the high inputs of capital, labour, or heavy usage of technologies such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers relative to land area.

Extensive Agriculture is an agricultural production system that uses small inputs of labor, fertilizers, and capital, relative to the land area being farmed. It most commonly refers to sheep and cattle farming in areas with low agricultural productivity

Agriculture in Less Developed Countries Characteristics of shifting cultivation Use fire to clear vegetation from land in order to create fields for crops (Slash and Burn) Cleared land = swidden Plant crops for a few years then leave fallow Land fertile for 3 or less years Native vegetation returns Soil recovery slow takes years

Shifting Cultivation Then and Now Why was shifting cultivation sustainable in the past? There were less people and more land available to do it Why will shifting cultivation diminish in the 21 st century? Technological Advancements Expanding/Growing Population Commercial Agriculture Competing land-use activities Government/ environmental policy

World Milk Production Milk production reflects wealth, culture, and environment. It is usually high in MEDCs, especially production per capita, and varies considerably in LEDCs.

Commercial Dairy Farming The management of cattle for producing and marketing milk, butter, cheese or other milk by- products

Why Dairy Farms tend to be located near Urban Areas Milk must be close to market due to perishability of milk products Proximity to market less important now due to transportation options Regional Differences In Dairy Products Farmers far from urban centers usually sell to dairy product processors (cheese, butter, etc) Problems For Dairy Farmers Declining revenues and rising costs Labor intensive, cows milked twice daily Winter feed expenses Dairy Farming and Urban Areas

Dairy Production in the U.S. Fig. 10-9: Milk production (top right) is widely dispersed because of its perishability, though there are areas with greater production. As a whole the US produces tons of milk (left). Cheese production (bottom right) is far more concentrated.

MODERN COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE – PART 1 GMOs, Biotechnology, Factory Farming

Key Terms Factory Farm: house huge quantities of livestock or poultry and emphasize high volume and profit with minimal regard for human health, safe food, the environment, or humane treatment of animals. Feedlot: confined space used for controlled feeding of animals

Factory farming expanded in 1920’s, after the discovery of vitamins A and D. When these vitamins were added to feed the animals they no longer required exercise and sunlight for growth. This allowed animals to be raised indoors, and started wide spread of disease, which was combated in the 1940’s with the development of antibiotics. History

Farms have become factories and the animals raised in these factories are mere commodities. As of 2000, only 30% of the 640,000 farms in the U.S. provided pasture for their animals. All the rest are confined in CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations).

Why They Exist Low cost — Intensive agriculture tends to produce food that can be sold at lower cost to consumers. Efficiency — Animals in confinement can be supervised more closely than free-ranging animals, and diseased animals can be treated faster.

Potential Problems Caused By Factory Farming Water Quality Air Quality Health Impacts

Water Quality Livestock collectively generate 130 times more waste in the U.S. than humans. Large numbers of animals on a small area of land creates excess manure factory farms’ manure “lagoons” often leak and dirty both surface and groundwater.

Air Quality Manure lagoons release more than 400 volatile chemicals, including ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can cause seizures, brain damage, or death. There is now extensive literature documenting acute and chronic respiratory diseases among factory farm workers.

Health Impacts Antibiotic Resistance: More than 70% of antibiotics used in the U.S. are fed to livestock. According to APHA, the emerging scientific consensus is that antibiotics given to livestock contribute to antibiotic resistance in humans by creating bacteria immune to some antibiotics or “superbugs.”

Biotechnology Manipulation and management of biological organisms Recombinant DNA techniques Tissue culture (cloning) Cell fusion Embryo transfer Positive: high yielding, disease resistant “super” plants Negative: poorer countries excluded by distance and cost + concerns about safety

Genetically Modified Organisms Genetically Modified Food/Animals: are a result of technology that has altered the DNA of living organisms (animals, plants or bacteria)

Increase in Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S. Source:

Some Benefits of Genetically Modified Foods

Some Concerns about Genetically Modified Foods Possible adverse effects on human health Introduction of new allergens Antibiotic-resistant genes in foods Production of new toxins Concentration of toxic metals Environmental impacts (from fertilizers and pesticide use) Dangers not yet identified

Fertilizers and Pesticides Fertilizers is any organic or inorganic material that is added to soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants Pesticides are substances meant for destroying or eliminating any pest

Health Risks Associated with Pesticides and Fertilizers Pesticide and Fertilizer residues on produce  remain after washing and peeling.  have links to cancer.

Impact of Artificial Fertilizers and Pesticides Heavy and sustained use of fertilizers can result in serious soil degradation In artificially fertilized soils, the ability of the soil to absorb water is compromised

MODERN COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE – PART 2 Organic, Local, Environmental impacts, and the Global Food Crisis

Organic Agriculture A farming system that promotes sustainable and biodiverse ecosystems and relies on natural ecological processes and cycles, as opposed to synthetic inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers

Spatial Distribution of American Farms

Spatial Distribution of Organic Farms

Obesity Trends Among Adults

Global Food Crisis A sustained condition of food insecurity worldwide in scope and significance

Soil Erosion The physical loss and reduction in quality of topsoil associated with nutrient decline and contamination.

Food Miles The distance that food travels from where it is produced to where it is consumed. A way of indicating the environmental impact of the food we eat

Biofuels: fossil fuel substitutes that can be made from a range of agricultural crop materials including oilseeds, wheat, corn and sugar Advantages It is a renewable form of energy as long as people replant crops. It is cheap and the resources can be grown locally Disadvantages It can still release greenhouse gases. Areas can be deforested to grow crops for energy generation. If crops are used for energy production it can lead to an increase in food prices

Deforestation Deforestation: the process of destroying a forest and replacing it with something else

Urban Agriculture The use of vacant lots, rooftops, balconies, or other urban spaces to raise food for metropolitan households or neighborhoods.

Sustainable Agriculture This term refers to the ability of a farm to produce food indefinitely, without causing irreversible damage to ecosystems. Sustainable farming reduces or prevents environmental degradation (depletion of vegetation loss of biodiversity, soil and water)

Key Ideas with Sustainable Agriculture Conservation and soil health Nutrient recycling e.g. animal waste being used for fertilizer Biodiversity – this is helped through a minimal use of chemicals on the land Animal welfare – more care taken with animals, and different diets perhaps Fair wages and treatment for workforce – farm is part of the rural community