APES Unit 5: The Green Revolution

economies of scale

- average costs of production fall as output increases

mechanization

- economies of scale - large upfront expenditure justified by profits from increased production - small farms cannot expend the up-front cost - average farm size in US has increased form 150 acres to 500 acres over 100 years

energy subsidy

- fossil fuel energy and human energy input per calorie of food produced - 10 calorie energy input for every 1 calorie you consume - most of this is due to fossil fuel use

causes of energy subsidy

- fossil fuel use - fertilizers, pesticides - tractors, machinery - irrigation - transportation

transgenic

- genetically engineered

GMO

- genetically modified organisms

benefits of GMOs

- increase quantity, quality, and decrease cost - pest and drought resistance - essential nutrients - pharmaceutical compounds - increase revenue

modern techniques of GMOs

- isolate a specific gene from one organism and transfer it into the genetic material of another

monocropping

- large plantings of single species or variety

safe for human consumption

- little evidence - food allergies may be an issue

what monsanto wanted to do with roundup

- make crops that were resistant to glyphosphate, so farmers could spray the herbicide over their whole crop and only kill the weeds

effects on biodiversity

- may breed with wild relatives, alter or eliminate natural varieties - buffer zones - possible loss of genetic diversity

industrial agriculture

- mechanization and standardization applied to food production

patenting

- monsanto - roundup ready - glyphosphate - 10 biggest companies control 73% of our seeds

drawbacks of monocropping

- more soil erosion - higher vulnerability to pests - loss of genetic diversity - lack of predators

regulations

- no regulations in the US that mandate labeling - EU bans many GMOs - organic food does not contain GMOs - labeling: confuses the uninformed. is there something wrong with GMOs, or not? if not, why label?

agrobacterium

- recodes plant cells to grow food for it

increase revenue

- reduce expenses, increase profits, lower food prices

pest and drought resistance

- reduce need for pesticides

pharmaceutical compounds

- reduces cost of manufacturing them - insulin

concerns of GMOs

- safe for human consumption? - effects on biodiversity? - patenting?

green revolution

- shift to mechanization, fertilization, irrigation, pesticide use, and GMOs over last 100 years

commodity plants

- staples like feed corn and soybeans, which have been modified to resist herbicides or insects - found mostly processed foods

GMO

- traditional artificial selection has been practiced for thousands of years - ex: corn, cauliflower, broccoli

benefits of monocropping

- very efficient and productive - economical

essential nutrients

- vitamin a enriched "golden rice"

corn, squash, wild cabbage

- what are some examples of crops we have been artificially breeding for years?

sugar beets, corn, soybeans

- what are the three major plant crops that are genetically modified (mainly pest resistance)?

vitamin A deficiency. golden rice

- what causes blindness for 500,000 children a year? what GM crop helps fight this?

1983. antibiotic resistant tobacco plant

- what year did transgenics begin and what plant was created?