Climate Change Climate change is a major threat to agricultural production. This is a factor that farmers cannot directly control. As global temperatures rise, farming practices will need to evolve. Productive lands could become less plentiful, and additional less productive lands made available.

Possible Effects of Climate Change The effects that climate can have on food production include: Increased risk of droughts Increased risk of pests and diseases Increased risk of scorched plants Rising sea levels can submerge valuable farmland along coastlines Increased Desertification as rain patterns permanently shift

Traditional Livestock Breeding Practices Humans have been domesticating animals for millennia. Domesticated animals have been bred to be hardier towards weather and climate conditions. Selective breeding has helped to increase the productivity of animals. Cross-breeding is the primary way of modification, such as breeding a female horse with a male donkey to produce a mule.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) an organism or microorganism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering. Improvements in technology have changed the types of crops and animals that can be grown and raised on farms Can be used to provide higher yields, increase resistance to disease and pests and better management of their crops.

Examples of GMOs Soybeans that are resistant to Herbicides Corn that is resistant to common pests (insects) Canola crops that have higher yields Plums that are resistant to viruses

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Food shortages are becoming an increasing phenomenon. Droughts can cause hunger even in the richest countries Many farmers use GMOs to help combat this, such as breeding cows that will produce milk in dry climates or breeding drought-resistant crops

Scientists work on creating crops that can grow in harsher conditions. Scientists hope to produce crops that can grow in areas with less rain and shorter growing seasons. Scientists try to modify plants to grow in less nutrient rich soils. These GMOs help farmers profit from farming even in less than ideal conditions.

Genetically Modified Animals Many livestock animals have been genetically modified to produce more “value” such as: Chickens with larger breasts (the most valuable part of a chicken) Cows that produce more milk Fish that are resistant to certain types of disease

Genetics in Different Organisms Scientists have discovered that they can take desirable traits and genes from one organism and move them to entirely different organisms Example: A breed of maize that had insect- killing genes can be imbedded into the DNA on another breed of maize. This allowed to grow and produced its own toxin to kill insects and reduced the need for pesticides Example: In 2006, a pig was engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids through the expression of a roundworm gene

Opposition to GMOs Concerns are raised regarding the long-term environmental and ecological health of our environment when we introduce genetically modified organisms. the long-term health effects on humans who consume GMOSs is not known Possibility of humans developing new allergic reactions to the foods they eat Disturb the natural flow of our environments Artificial characteristics can be passed on to the future generations