Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Sustainability Created for Earth Science Classes Fall 2012 Essential standards

Conventional Agricultural Practices Tillage: Plowing soil to prepare for seeds, nutrient infusion, or pest control application. Pest control is usually chemical based (pesticides, insectides) Fertilizer is chemical based. Regular irrigation (watering).

Benefits and Problems with Traditional Farming Less time intensive and less monitoring Less expensive in the short term Used for hundreds of years Problems/Questions How do the applied chemicals affect humans? How do the applied chemicals affect the ecosystem?

Integrated Pest Management Keep the pest population below the economic injury level (where the farmer starts losing money). Monitoring to determine when and if treatment is needed. Use of chemical (pesticides) or biological controls (natural enemy or a plant pathogen) Goal is effective pest control that is the least disruptive to the crops, environment and humans.

Organic Farming Relies on crop rotation, biological control of pests, natural fertilizers (animal based), and limits the use of hormones, antibiotics, and genetically modified organisms. Organic food sometimes costs more because it reflects the true cost of growing the food. Seeks to encourage and enhance the natural processes going on in the soil.

Genetically Modified Crops Disease resistant Insect resistant Delayed ripening / improved shelf life Increased nutrition Stress resistance (ex. To drought) Useful products – vitamin carriers, make vaccines A dramatization, but you get the idea.

Hydroponics Growing plants in water and mineral solutions without using soil. Advantages: Water stays in the system and can be reused Easier to harvest No pesticide damage Easier pest control

What is aquaculture? Raising fish, crustaceans, mollusks and aquatic plants under controlled conditions. Common products: shrimp, salmon, oysters, algae, trout, carp Fish are raised commercially in tanks, ponds, or ocean enclosures and are primarily raised for food.

Potential Problems Eutrophication: an increased amount of fish waste causes an algal bloom. Some algal species are toxic and can kill the fish and other aquatic life. May reduce biodiversity in an area – less adaptable to sudden shifts in weather, climate.