Agriculture

What are the types of farming?

Livestock: meat, dairy, eggs; utilizes rangeland
Agriculture: growing one crop (monoculture) or many crops (polyculture)
Aquaculture: raising aquatic organisms for food.
What happens when food isnt available?
Malnutrition: a condition caused by not consuming enough necessary nutrients
Famine: a food scarcity so widespread that it causes severe malnutrition throughout
large geographic areas.
Why do people go hungry? crop failure due to drought, soil deterioration, disease,
population size> crop yield
What happens when food is overabundant?
Over nutrition: food energy intake exceeds energy use and causes excess body fat.
Similar health problems to those who are underfed> lower life expectancy, greater
susceptibility to disease and illness, lower productivity and life quality.
How did the green revolution change farming?
Goals> stop hunger, increase crop yield, minimize crop losses/failure.
Methods> new, high-yield grain varieties, pesticides, fertilizers, better management
practices, more technologically advanced machinery.
Vision> treat agriculture as a business (agribusiness). Plant a large amount of a
single species (mono-cropping).
Draw backs> too expensive, air, soil, and water pollution due to toxic chemicals,
uneven distribution, poorer countries still cant transport food, pesticide resistance.
Conventional farming- maximizing output- high efficiency, minimize space,
concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOS), genetically modified crops (temp
and chemically resistance), heavy equipment (fossil fuels, chemicals (pesticides and
fertilizers, tillage.
Sustainable farming practices> sustainable output, takes more space,
pasture/rangeland feeding, incorporates more human and animal labor, minimize
chemical usage ( biochemical), polyculture, low till, or no till.
Benefits
Conventional > lower food costs, fast production times, meets increased demands.

Sustainable > healthier for humans and organisms, higher quality foods, conserves
energy and water resources, lower biodiversity/ environmental impact.
Risks/impacts
Conventional > biodiversity/ habitat degradation, soil, water, and air pollution,
erosion/ desertification, energy and water loss, contamination of human foods,
pesticide and antibiotic resistance.
Sustainable > higher food costs, low yield, decreased availability, more susceptible
to storms, pests, changes in environment, etc.