1. Feeding a Growing Population
1.1. Issues
1.1.1. Developed Countries
1.1.1.1. High food prices
1.1.1.1.1. from poor weather (less output), higher demand, smaller growth in productivity, and use of crops for biofuels instead of human consumption
1.1.1.1.2. The demand for organic produce is increasing (organic produce is more difficult to grow successfully)
1.1.1.2. Larger average amount of food consumed per person and more diverse diets require large shipping networks for food and larger scale production
1.1.1.3. Diets tend to be rich in protein from meat, which puts a strain on the environment because of the large amount of space and resources needed to raise animals
1.1.2. Developing Countries
1.1.2.1. Amount of food production
1.1.2.1.1. Is overall lower than in developed countries
1.1.2.1.2. Food production is mainly towards crops for exporting rather than domestic consumption
1.1.2.2. Rapid Population Growth
1.1.2.2.1. Food security
1.1.2.2.2. Undernourishment
1.1.2.3. Government Mandated Low Prices
1.1.2.3.1. no incentive for increased production
1.1.2.4. Less advanced tech available
1.1.2.4.1. Soil is depleted of resources faster
1.1.2.4.2. Food is produced on a smaller scale, and more people work in agriculture
1.1.2.4.3. Diets depend heavily on what food is available close by, as shipping food is difficult and costly
1.1.2.4.4. One of the only ways to fertilize fields is wish potash, which is made by burning debris to clear a site
1.1.3. Climate change
1.1.3.1. Erratic precipitation patterns
1.1.3.2. Glacial melting endangers fresh water supply
1.1.3.3. Higher temperatures worldwide
1.2. Solutions
1.2.1. Expanding Land
1.2.1.1. cultivating more land produces more food
1.2.1.1.1. environmental factors prevent expansion as less land becomes suitable for agriculture
1.2.2. Land Management
1.2.2.1. Intensification
1.2.3. Applying Innovation
1.2.3.1. Products of the Green Revolution
1.2.3.1.1. Crete higher yields for growing population
1.2.4. Increased Exports
1.2.4.1. developing countries import food from developed countries with surplus
2. Innovation
2.1. The Green Revolution
2.1.1. Higher yield plants
2.1.1.1. Higher yields per seed (bigger plants)
2.1.1.1.1. ex. IR8 rice
2.1.2. Fertilizers
2.1.2.1. Adds nutrients needed by plants; can cause environmental problems in the long-term
2.1.2.2. Fertilizers were used long before the Green Revolution (manure) but the Revolution added specific agricultural chemicals
2.1.3. Agricultural Chemicals
2.1.3.1. Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorus fertilizers created
2.1.3.1.1. Most common nutrients needed by plants
2.1.4. Increased Use of Machinery
2.1.4.1. Fourth agricultural revolution; increased use of drones and robots for more precision and higher yields
2.2. GMOs
2.2.1. Benefits
2.2.1.1. Higher yield, increased taste/nutrition, resistance to disease/pests
2.2.1.1.1. US supports GMOs
2.2.2. Controversy
2.2.2.1. Health issues, hurts ecological balance, export issues for developing countries, too much dependency on the US for developing countries, labelling issues
2.2.2.1.1. Europe strongly against GMOs
2.3. Organic Farming
2.3.1. "Clean" produce
2.3.1.1. Dirty dozen
2.3.1.2. Clean fifteen
2.3.2. Practices
2.3.2.1. Respect for interdependency
2.3.2.1.1. Complementary activites over specialization
2.3.2.1.2. Cycles (food grown on farm is fed to the animals)
2.3.2.2. No GMOs, chemicals, antibiotic use strictly medical, free-range
2.4. Sustainable Agriculture
2.4.1. Sustainable Land Management
2.4.1.1. Conservation Tillage
2.4.1.1.1. Methods to work with the land and reduce erosion
2.4.1.2. Shifting Cultivation
2.4.1.2.1. shift activity from one field to another; each field used for crops for a few years then left fallow for a while
2.4.1.3. 3-Field System
2.4.1.3.1. 1 or 2 fields left fallow while the rest are cultivated
2.4.2. Limiting Chemical Usage
2.4.2.1. Herbicides and Insecticides
2.4.2.1.1. harm soil and water
2.4.2.1.2. cause weeds and insects to develop resistances, rendering them useless
2.4.2.1.3. Many have been banned due to their catastrophic effect on the ecosystem, especially animals
2.4.2.2. combination of mechanical and chemical show better results than sepearate
3. Fishing
3.1. Overfishing - visit this link for more information
3.1.1. Fishing species of fish faster than they can reproduce
3.1.2. Most common in the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
3.2. Consumption of Fish
3.2.1. Per capita, has risen; rose overall as well (larger population)
3.2.2. Only 1% of all calories consumed
3.3. Aquaculture
3.3.1. Raise fish in controlled conditions
3.3.2. Has increased as share of production of fish
4. Women in Agriculture
4.1. Genders split types of agriculture in some developing countries
4.1.1. Men: international trade agriculture
4.1.1.1. paid wages
4.1.2. Women: Subsistence
4.1.2.1. get income by selling products in local markets
5. Regions of Agriculture
5.1. Developing Countries
5.1.1. Pastoral Nomadism
5.1.1.1. Definition:A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals
5.1.1.1.1. Not sustainable as is - countries want land for oil and other valuable resources, but the land can be used for little else
5.1.2. Shifting Cultivation
5.1.2.1. Define: a strategy of land management where certain fields are cultivated and others are left fallow at a time
5.1.2.1.1. Not sustainable - creates a smaller yield for the amount of land and contributes to global warming because it cuts into rainforests
5.1.3. Intensive Subsistence
5.1.3.1. Wet Rice Dominant
5.1.3.1.1. Mostly sustainable with certain practices - paths and roads narrow, livestock not permitted to graze, little grain grown to feed animals to minimize loss of arable land
5.1.3.2. Not Wet Rice Dominant
5.1.3.2.1. Mostly sustainable - some crop rotation is used to avoid depleting soil of nutrients
5.1.3.3. Define: Form of subsistence agriculture where farmers must put in a large amount of effort to produce the maximum possible yield from an area of land.
5.1.4. Plantations
5.1.4.1. Define: the production of one or more usually cash crops on a large area of land-most common in tropical climates where cash crops generally grow more naturally.
5.1.4.1.1. Theoretically sustainable - can generate large enough yields, but is costly in labor. If labor gets too expensive, farmers will opt for something else
5.2. Developed Countries
5.2.1. Dairying
5.2.1.1. Define: an agricultural activity involving the raising of livestock, most commonly cows and goats, for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter
5.2.1.1.1. Sustainable - production has gone up drastically in the past few decades. This has pushed prices down, but if demand and government subsidies remain enough, this will be able to provide for a large amount of people in the future.
5.2.2. Mediterranean
5.2.2.1. Define: Agriculture practiced in areas with a Mediterranean climate; mostly horticulture.
5.2.2.1.1. Sustainable in some areas - while mostly focused on horticulture, having some animals can mitigate effects of drought. Not having enough or having too many animals can lead to water issues, such as in California. Visit the link to learn more:
5.2.3. Commercial Gardening
5.2.3.1. Define: growing fruits and vegetables that are in high demand in developed countries
5.2.3.1.1. Sustainable - provides specific fruits and vegetables for developed countries; uses natural climate and produces what is in demand
5.2.4. Livestocking Ranching
5.2.4.1. Define: The raising of domesticated animals for the production of meat and other byproducts such as leather and wool
5.2.4.1.1. Land not sustainable for agriculture without high amounts of irrigation; smaller production for land than plants
5.2.5. Grain
5.2.5.1. Define: Seed of a cereal grass
5.2.5.1.1. Sustainable - a few countries are able to provide for most of the world; must be careful of making grain a monoculture, which would make the supply susceptible to a single disease
5.2.5.1.2. Grown extensively because of its wide variety of use
5.2.6. Mixed Crop and Livestock
5.2.6.1. Define: raising livestock and growing crops on the same land and using them to benefit each other
5.2.6.1.1. Sustainable - rotation of livestock and crops helps keep soil healthy; can produce a large amount of both animal and plant products
6. Resources
6.1. The Loss of Agricultural Land
6.1.1. Arable Land
6.1.1.1. Desertification
6.1.1.1.1. Land Degradation - deplete nutrients in soil and prevent agriculture
6.1.1.2. Urbanization
6.1.1.2.1. Cities and suburbs expand into prime farmland
6.1.1.3. Excess Water
6.1.1.3.1. Excess Salinity
6.1.1.3.2. Excess Water on Land
6.1.1.4. Erosion
6.1.1.4.1. Conservation TIllage
6.2. Water Issues
6.2.1. Potable Water
6.2.1.1. Drought
6.2.1.1.1. period of abnormally low rainfall and shortage of water
6.2.2. Overfishing
7. Global Trade
7.1. Patterns
7.1.1. Western to Eastern Hemisphere
7.1.2. Developing to Developed
7.1.2.1. some developing countries agriculture is split into subsistence and international trade agriculture
7.1.2.1.1. originally subsistence farmers becoming commercial and international
7.2. Solutions
7.2.1. increase exports from countries that have surpluses
7.3. Drug Trade
7.3.1. Often from Latin America to the United States