10.2

why does Plantation agriculture limit biodiversity?

because forests are cleared out to produce single crops

what three systems supply most of our food?

croplands: supply 77% of the worlds food and 11% of the worlds area rangelands and pastures: supply 16% of the worlds food and take up 29% of the worlds land ocean fisheries / aquaculture: supply about 7% of the worlds food and are found throughout saltwater and freshwater systems

reasons we will not be able to support projected population of 8-9 billion by 2050

environmental degradation, pollution, lack of water for irrigation, overgrazing by livestock, increasing fuel costs, overfishing, rising temperatures, loss of vital ecological services

traditional intensive agriculture

farmers increase their inputs of human and draft animal labor, fertilizer, and water to obtain higher yields per area of cultivated land in order to produce enough food for a family and surplus to sell for income

Plantation agriculture

form of industrialized agriculture used primarily in tropical developing countries; involves growing monomial cash crops (ex. bananas, coffee beans)

one way we will be able to support projected population of 8-9 billion by 2050

genetic engineering

agribusiness

giant, multinational corporations that are monopolizing the food industry

monoculture: pros and cons

it produces large amounts of food, but is bad for the environment

feedlots / animal factories + why they are bad for the environment

livestock production on both developed and developing countries... large buildings are packed with livestock... the livestock is fattened for about 4 months and then slaughtered; they use large amounts of energy and water and produce animal waste that can pollute air

food specialization

relying only on certain foods; goes against biodiversity in a way

why has there been an increase in global food production + examples

technological advances; irrigation systems, chemical fertilizers, tractors

slash-and-burn agriculture

type of agriculture that involves burning and clearing plots of land to use until their soil is depleted, and then going to a new plot

industrialized agriculture / high input agriculture

use large amounts of resources to produce single crops or livestock animals; is practiced on 1/4 of the worlds land and makes up 80% of the worlds food

traditional subsistence agriculture

uses mostly human labor and draft animals to produce only enough food for a family's survival

polyculture

using one plot of land to grow many crops simultaneously

of the estimated 50,000 wild plant species people can eat, what are the main grain crops?

wheat, rice, and corn; they provide bout 47% of the worlds calories and 42% of the worlds protein that people consume; 2/3 of the worlds population relies on these foods