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41 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Food Production |
Food Production has risen faster than the human population has increased |
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Food distribution: How many hungry people still remain |
The world still has ~850 million hungry people, due to inadequate food distributuion |
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Under nutrition |
-a type of malnutrition -not enough calories or nutrients (causes numerous diseases, especially in the developing world) |
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Kwashiorkor |
-malnutrition from protein deficiency -a key feature is a swollen abdomen |
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Marasmus |
-malnutrition from lack of total calories and protein -slowed growth, wasting of muscles |
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World Hunger: The 2 regions with the greatest food shortages |
-South Asia, with ~270 million hungry people -Sub-Saharan Africa, with ~175 million hungry people |
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Overnutrition |
A type of malnutrition -overconsumption of calories or nutrients (causes numerous diseases especially in developed world) |
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The green revolution: Increasing crop yields |
-Techniques to increase crop output -The green revolution enabled food production to keep up with population growth |
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The green revolution and the environment |
The green revolution was not environmentally friendly -required intensive use of commercial fertilizers, pesticides, fossil fuels, etc. |
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The green revolution: environmental impacts |
The green revolution caused environmental harm -pollution from fertilizers -pollution from pesticides -water depletion from irrigation |
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Animal agriculture |
Production and consumption of meat has risen dramatically |
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Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) |
-also called 'feedlots' -farms that deliver energy-rich food to animals, at high densities (to fatten them up quickly) |
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Animal Agriculture: Environmental Impacts |
Large amount of waste -polluted air -polluted water Intensive use of chemicals -antibiotics -steroids -hormones |
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Food choices = energy choices |
-Some animal food products can be produced with less input of feed -Some animal food products can be produced with lower inputs of land and water |
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Organic farming |
Small percentage of the market, but growing fast -no synthetic chemicals -can still use poison (nicotine, hemlock, arsenic) but must be 'natural' |
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Advantages of organic produce |
-healthier -environmentally better |
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Disadvantages of organic produce |
-less uniform -less appealing-looking -more expensive |
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Genetic Engineering: A solution or a problem? |
Manipulating genetic material may be the best hope for increasing agricultural production without destroying more land Many people remain uneasy about genetically engineering crop plants |
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Company that has invested the most in GMO's |
Monsanto |
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Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) |
organisms genetically engineered using recombinant DNA technology |
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Recombinant DNA |
DNA joined together from multiple organisms (EX: disease-resistance genes from one plant added to another plant) |
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Genetic Engineering |
look over slide |
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Prevalence of GM crops |
-Many GM crops had bad publicity -This biotechnology is already changing your food supply -Two-thirds of US soybeans, corn, and cotton are GM strains |
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How common are GM crops? |
-17 nations plant GM crops -The US grows about 55% of the world's GM crops |
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Europe/Canada vs US |
Europe/Canada -followed a precautionary approach to GM foods -government listened to opposition from their citizens US -GM foods were introduced with virtually no debate -most people don't know they're eating GM food |
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The 'Flavr Savr' tomato |
-Calgene invented the Flavr Savr tomato -Putting a gene into tomatoes to decrease bruising on the way to the store -Told people it was GM food -Introduced them in California and nobody bought them -Invested so much into the tomatoes and they went bankrupt |
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Controlling Agricultural Pests: Pesticides |
Artificial chemicals developed to kill pests (pesticides) -insecticides -plants (herbicides) -fungi (fungicides) -rodents (rodenticides) |
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Why do we have so many pests? Monocultures |
-Large areas of a single crop Economically efficient, but risky ("all of your eggs in one basket") |
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DDT |
A broad-spectrum insecticide -not toxic to mammals except at high levels |
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Biggest place that DDT was used? |
Used during WWII overseas to combat diseases such as malaria, typhoon, etc. |
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A problem: Pesticide Resistance |
1. Pests attack crop 2. Pesticide applied 3. All pests, except a few, with resistance, are killed 4. Survivors breed and produce resistant offspring 5. Pesticide applied again 6. Has almost no effect; new toxic chemicals are needed |
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Rachel Carson |
-marine biologist -wrote the book "Silent Spring" which heightened public awareness and the dangers of pesticides |
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As a result of Silent Spring |
-DDT is banned from the US -Helps defend against Malaria is developing countries |
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Environmental Estrogens |
Males begin looking like females and acting like females Can be caused by various types of environmental pollutants -DDT (pesticides) -PCB's (industrial coolant) Soybean (phytoestrogen) |
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Biological Magnification (biomagnification) |
occurs when the concentration of a substance, such as DDT or mercury, in an organism exceeds the background concentration of the substance in its diet.
You don't excrete DDT, it just builds up |
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Approach to battling insects: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) |
Combines biological, physical, structural, and chemical controls May Involve: -pesticides -transgenic crops -trapping -biological (ex: ladybugs) |
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Biological Control (biocontrol) |
Biocontrol battles pests, with organisms that are natural enemies of those pests (arms race between predators and prey for adaptation) Biocontrol avoids the 'resistance' problem |
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Biological Control Success stories |
Cactus moth wiped out invasive prickly pear cactus in Australia |
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Biocontrol can be risky |
Most biocontrol agents are introduced from other countries Some may become pests themselves |
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Multicolored Asian Ladybird Beetle |
-Immature ladybugs feeding on their own eggs -Outcompetes other native species -Over 20 different coloration patterns for the species |
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Did You Know... |
Not only is fast food unhealthy people who eat it regularly are 51% more likely to develop depression |