Agroeco final
Which of the following dimensions are generally not well represented in the US Organic Agricultural Production standards?
1) animal health, 2) fair and safe working conditions, or 3) diversification of agroecosystems.
Food narratives create:
A sense of connection A sense of disconnection
A key aspect of management intensive grazing is:
A. A rest period between grazing events B. High stocking densities of animals
Joan is looking for apples at the farmer's market. She really wants to meet the farmer and learn about the way the apples were produced. She also likes to learn about the farmer's family. These are examples of Joan:
A. Conjuring up the apples' "food ghosts" C. Connecting her family's food consumption to the food's production D. Indulging and enacting her 'agroecological imagination'
Compared to grass-fed livestock systems, grain-fed confinement livestock systems tend to have
A. Higher likelihood of virus mutation and survival, increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases B. Higher soil, carbon, and nutrient losses to waterways C. Higher yields of milk and meat per area of land
According to the documentary, having a diverse pasture which includes legumes:
A. Provides nitrogen to the soil B. Saves money because you don't have to apply fertilizers C. Increases the protein content of the forage
Bert Paris' story about converting his farm operation to grazing focuses on
A. The way feeding his cows on grass has constrained his costs B. How grazing has improved his lifestyle by increasing his family time
Land Management example
Adding N fertilizer to soils growing commercial corn
Ecosystem services are
Benefits provided to humans by nature (or the world around us)
Genetic engineering includes things like (select all that apply):
CRISPR Cas9 Inserting genes from bacteria into plants Golden rice
Climate change mitigation can be accomplished by
Climate change mitigation can be accomplished by
Jerry is heading down to the grocery store to pick up some apples, he doesn't care where they come from, who produced them, or how they were grown as long as they're red and unblemished. This is an example of:
Commodity Fetishism
The Malthusian Position
Contends that hunger is mainly caused by population growth and is largely inevitable
The inequality critique of Malthusian
Contends that hunger is mainly caused by poverty, and stems from the social forces of exploitation
The demographic critique of Malthusian
Contends that population growth largely solves itself by eventually leading to smaller families
The technological critique of Malthusian
Contends that population growth stimulates innovation that substitutes for environmental limits
Reducing synthetic fertilizer use
Decreases GHG emissions
Rotational grazing
Decreases GHG emissions
Use of cover crops
Decreases GHG emissions
Use of perennial crops
Decreases GHG emissions
Application of insecticides to soils could alter storage of carbon in the soil by (select all that apply):
Decreasing the activity of arthropod decomposers and Increasing microbial activity
Which of the following arguments did Dr. Diane Mayerfeld NOT present as a response to the problem that livestock emit greenhouse gases?
Economic Argument
Which of the following is NOT a main way that agriculture causes direct declines in animal and plant biodiversity:
Elevates CO2 in the atmosphere
Which of the proposed approaches to reducing hunger can be categorized as building food sovereignty?
Expand social protection for the poorest to raise the purchasing power of the poorest two billion people, kickstarting local economies and Embrace and promote indigenous food ways
Agriculture is the largest sector of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
False
Because of the importance of spatial diversity in agriculture, landscape ecologists alone are best able to address agroecological questions.
False
Buyers can be confident that the organic label ensures fair labor practices and attention to the needs of local communities.
False
Climate change affects human communities around the world pretty equally.
False
Compared to the consequences of organic approaches for weed management, herbicide use is always much worse for soil carbon.
False
Grounded knowledge is another term for interdisciplinary knowledge.
False
If we converted all the corn and soybean acreage in the US currently used to feed beef cattle in feedlots into grassland with well-managed grazing, we would be able to produce only a small fraction of the current number of beef cattle and have no land remaining to produce corn and soybeans for other uses.
False
In Wisconsin, the climate hasn't begun to change in a directional fashion, but when it does, agriculture will be significantly affected.
False
Old Oak Family Farm is an example of a farm that is successful because they focus on the one thing they're good at - growing corn.
False
Plant- and insect-based proteins are preferable to meat because there are no environmental problems associated with their production.
False
Regenerative agriculture is better than organic agriculture because the majority of scientific research shows that it is better for the environment AND better for social outcomes, including justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
False
Researchers are searching for the genes responsible for this N-fixing symbiosis, because once they identify it, inserting it into high-input, commercially-developed corn varieties used across North America will be straightforward and easy with few social or ecological impediments.
False
Similar to the USDA organic standard, the regenerative agriculture standard has a rigid and clearly articulated definition and set of guidelines.
False
The N-fixing Oaxacan corn variety was a result of genetic modification where a gene from the ancestor of corn, teosinte, was inserted into its genome.
False
The dominant form of meat production in Iceland is plant-based protein because the climate is so harsh it precludes livestock production.
False
The terms "farmer" and "farm worker" are interchangeable when referring to people who operate farms in the United States.
False
True or False: According to the USDA's official organic agriculture certification, insecticides are not allowed.
False
True or False: Organic agriculture only represents small scale agrarian systems.
False
Farmer Jeff Endres runs a 500-head dairy and believes he's in the business of
Feeding people and caring for the land
Land Sharing
Finding ways to blend wildlife conservation and food production
At Sand Farm in the Kickapoo River Valley of southwestern Wisconsin, the farmers Lois and Sandy Schwert are interested in incorporating grazing livestock into their operation because they want to
Help reduce flooding by slowing the flow of water that enters the watershed as rainfall
In this article, "pesticides" refers primarily to
Herbicides
The "Green Revolution" was driven primarily by: (select all that apply)
High yielding plant varieties Use of synthetic fertilizers Irrigation Pesticide use
Some of the potential benefits of well-managed rotational grazing include:
Improved quality of life Improved pollinator habitat Higher water holding capacity Increased carbon content in the soil
Enteric fermentation in ruminants
Increases GHG emissions
Tillage of soil
Increases GHG emissions
Use of farm machinery
Increases GHG emissions
Use of synthetic fertilizers
Increases GHG emissions
False
Inequalities of the past, i.e. slavery, feudalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and land ownership, have been resolved in modern agricultural systems.
Plant Modification Example
Inserting gene from Oaxaca N-fixing corn into commercial variety of corn
The double burden of malnutrition means that: (select all that apply)
It is possible to suffer undernutrition and be overweight at the same time We need to distinguish between calories and adequate nutrition Nutrient dense foods are becoming harder for poor populations to obtain
Competition in cropping systems occurs when individual plants vie for these shared resources :
Light, water, nutrients, and space
Most of the field corn grown in the US is used for
Livestock feed and gas-tank feed (i.e. ethano
Some agroecological dangers of private property are (select all that apply):
Makes coordination across property lines difficult People might not think much about impacts on the property of others and on common property Farmers may take for granted the ecosystem services provided by biodiversity The wide variance in wealth and income means that land distribution by private property could be unfair and not support people's basic right to housing
Climate Mitigation
Managing agroecosystems as carbon sinks to help reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations
When considering converting land from some existing use to arable agricultural production, the greatest amount of carbon released to the atmosphere comes from:
Mature forests
The primary source of GHG emissions from rotational grazing systems is:
Methane (CH4) emissions from livestock
Heterotrophic respiration
Microbes respiring c02 to maintain and build there biomass
It's clear from data that sums greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere that
Most of the global emissions are coming from so-called 'developing' countries On a per capita basis, more global emissions are coming from so-called 'developed' countries The two main sources of greenhouse gas from agriculture are N2O (mainly from soils) and CH4 (mainly from livestock)
Plant C Balance
Net difference between C fixed via photosynthesis and autotrophic plant respiration
Agroecosystem C balance
Net difference of NPP and heterotrophic (microbial) respiration
In the northern hemisphere, higher global temperatures are predicted to shift the ranges of species more:
Northward
The "cultivation of knowledge" refers to how (select all that are true):
Our trusted knowledge is connected to our social identity and Answer Changing farming practices typically also entails changing one's network of friends and The most important crop in the field is the self
False
Plant modification and land manipulation always result in desirable, beneficent outcomes for humans
Photosynthesis is the process by which...
Plants use energy from the sun to combine CO2, H20, and 02 in order to create sugars which are used to build plant biomass
And the following are adaptation strategies:
Preparing and responding to climate change with new technologies Moving our agricultural production northwards where warming will make growing food more viable
Plants may be protected from being eaten by (check all that apply)
Producing secondary compounds that are toxic to herbivores Relying on predators and parasitoids that consume herbivores Having an evolutionary adaptation such that their growth period does not overlap with the time when herbivores are most active
Nitrogen is a key nutrient plants use directly to build
Proteins critical to photosynthesis
ecosystem services example
Reduced cost of fertilizer to commercial corn grower
Climate Adaption
Restoring wetland ecosystems to slow hydrologic flow and reduce flooding
Which of the following is NOT a lesson learned from Randy and Claudio's research experience in Iceland?
Rotational grazing in Iceland is managed by government land assignments to families each season to avoid overgrazing
Land Sparing
Setting aside some land and prohibiting agricultural production on it
Based on the "Tour the Grocery Store" activity, a primary marketing strategy of the conventionally-produced chicken was:
The deliberate introduction of a false food narrative to hide the real relations of conventional chicken processing
Applying the concept of One Health to the Oaxacan corn variety, scientist might consider...
The intersection of human and ecological health as they relate to nitrogen cycling in the environment and How this technology should be best implemented to ensure equity and justice in agricultural systems
The "Chain that Never Stops" refers to:
The production process in meat packing facilities that treats employees as expendable tools to support cheap production of meat products
A fair trade label is an example of a food ghost
True
An example of plant-plant interactions is weed-crop competition , which can result in depressed yields. These dynamics are especially difficult in organic cropping systems because mechanical weed control is challenging in high-rainfall years.
True
Because of the three-year transition rule, and because of marketing cooperatives, many organic farms are able to mitigate the pressures of the treadmill of production.
True
Beef production in the U.S. is mainly grain-finished .
True
Crop modification for agricultural purposes relies foremost on genetic variation for traits that humans desire. This variation can either be found through conventional plant breeding utilizing naturally occurring variation , or by creating novel variation through genetic engineering .
True
Currently, agriculture (cultivation and grazing) uses 40% of ice-free land, with mainly areas in Tropical Brazil and Africa still suitable for agricultural expansion.
True
Farm-level diversity doesn't always result in higher yields, but can be considered a good practice because it provides a kind of 'insurance' if a particular crop yields poorly.
True
Feeding grain (usually corn and soybeans) to livestock in confined feedlots and barns is a system built on grain production in cropping systems that are inherently "leaky"with respect to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus losses. Managing livestock with grazing on perennial grasslands"tightens up" energy and matter cycles, resulting in a more environmentally benign, but less productive agroecosystem.
True
Frequent tillage counteracts carbon storage.
True
Green manure is a plant-based means of improving soil fertility, but nonetheless typically relies on animal agriculture.
True
Increasing demand for meat and milk products is related to increasing population and increasing affluence.
True
Landscapes are areas that exhibit heterogeneity of different elements/patches/ecosystems in terms of their composition/ configuration.
True
Social identity is an important factor in whether farmers accept a technology or scientific finding.
True
The "farmer's problem" emerges because agriculture is typically spatially specialized, meaning that market and climate dynamics in a region will affect most farms in that region similarly.
True
The pressures of the treadmill of production can encourage farmers to ignore off-farm impacts of their agricultural practices.
True
The key limiting resources for plants include which of the following?
Water, space, light, nutrients
Weed control in agroecosystems is an example of plant-plant interactions and are especially difficult in organic systems.
Weed control in agroecosystems is an example of plant-plant interactions and are especially difficult in organic systems.
competition
Weeds reducing the amount of nitrogen available for the main crop
Soil properties that humans typically influence with management decisions such as crop choice (i.e. quantity and quality of roots) and soil disturbance (i.e. tillage intensity) include:
aggregation and organic matter
Heterotroph
an organism that cannot fix there carbon from the atmosphere
A One Health perspective
appreciates health as mutually dependent upon humans, animals, and ecology. Leads to a one justice perspective across time, social space, and species. Recognizes the important role of zoonotic diseases.
Conventional breeding of animals and plants occurs through:
artificial selection
The inequality critique of Malthusianism contends that it: (select all that apply)
blames the victims often is motivated by racism neglects the political and social origins of poverty ignores the greater per capita environmental impact of the wealthy doesn't take into account that there is actually enough to feed everyone
Selective breeding and artificial selection... (select all that apply)
can make plants more tolerant to disease, allows us to select for traits that are more desirable, depends on a genetic basis for a trait
Plant biomass decomposition
carbon entering the detrital pool, aka the brown food web
Climate change adaptation
efforts to respond to changing climate in ways that are beneficial to society
Climate change mitigation
efforts to slow, stabilize, or reverse directionally changing climate
Despite its potential benefits demonstrated in the laboratory, entomophagy is rarely practiced worldwide as there are few insects that are actually edible.
false
Corn production in the U.S. mostly goes to
feed livestock
Applying N fertilizers to crops, as done in most corn production systems, generally
increases plant productivity
social/political context example
indigenous knowledge systems and intellectual property rights
Agriculture commonly depends upon and perpetuatessystems of
inequality, such as colonialism, patriarchy, and slavery.
Currently, the Sierra Mixe corn variety cannot be grown commercially because
its growing season is too long
On average, organic agriculture produces [answer] yield than conventional-industrialized agriculture.
less
Payment for ecosystem services can be criticized because (select all that are true):
many "services" we get from the environment have intrinsic value that is hard to put in monetary terms payment for ecosystem services can reinforce inequality by putting disproportionate burdens on the income of the poor we shouldn't treat a market as a form of voting because then the wealthy get more votes payment for ecosystem services could become a form of economic blackmail
The red aerial roots emerging from this corn plant in Fig. 1 are covered in
mucus containing N-fixing microbes
Main contribution of agriculture to climate change -
nitrous oxide (N2O) from excessive N inputs and methane (CH4) from enteric fermentation of livestock
Soil texture
physical characteristic of the soil determined by mineral composition
trophic cascade
reduction of the abundance of a predator, resulting in an increase of there prey, resulting in a lower plant yield
Since the advent of GE crops, average historical rates of yield increases in maize, soy and cotton have
stayed the same
Net Primary Production (NPP)
sum of all plant biomass produced above and below ground in a defined space and time
Ecological Process Example
symbiotic relationship between a bacterium and a plant
Some plants, such as legumes or the Indigenous corn variety described in the article, obtain N through a
symbiotic relationship with microbes
Rural Marginalization
the result of a long history of urban extraction from rural areas, characterized by forcible location in the rural, selective location on the worst lands, lack of investment in rural spaces
A phenological mismatch between plants and their insect pollinators happens when:
the timing of flowering and the activity flower-visiting insect do not overlap.
Demand for animal products tends to increase as countries become more affluent
true
Integrated Pest Management is a general tiered approach to managing negative organismal interactions in crops and animals by first avoiding pest problems, then identifying when a pest is about to do economic harm and, if necessary, using chemical controls to suppress pest populations.
true
Major biomes on the planet are determined primarily through combinations of
water and temperature
