All of the following are threats to existing land in agricultural production EXCEPT:
biome developmental pressures to convert farmland into natural preserves
With an increasing global population, the key to food production in the future appears to be
increased production per unit area
People "starve" in two ways:
undernourishment and malnourishment
World food production must provide an adequate quantity of food and also food with
adequate nutritional quality
The continent with the most acute food shortages, due to adverse weather and civil strife is
Africa
Humanitarian gestures of food aid can work against increased availability of locally grown food in that
free food undercuts local farmers; they cannot compete with it
The most important forage crop in the United States, providing one-half of the world's total production is
alfalfa
Most cattle live on rangeland or pasture. The difference is
rangeland provides area for cows to graze; pasture is plowed, planted, and harvested to provide forage
What ecological concept permits carp and minnows to be grown in the same aquaculture pond?
different ecological niches; minnows feed at surface of pond while carp are bottom feeders
Oysters and mussels are productively farmed using
aquaculture
All of the following are ways in which agriculture disrupts ecosystems EXCEPT:
providing basis for early succession
Liebig's "Law of the Minimum" states: the growth of a plant is affected by
one limiting factor at a time
Organic food production is identified by all of the following qualities EXCEPT:
crops are genetically engineered
Post-World War II programs focusing on the development of new strains of crops with higher yields, better resistance to disease, or better ability to grown under poor conditions, have led to
hybridization
drip irrigation
hydroponics
the green revolution
Hybrid plants are developed to
thrive in the forecasted weather conditions
resist most likely strains of diseases
resist most likely strains of insect pest
produce a very high crop yield
The wisest approach to sustainable agriculture involves a combination of different kinds of land use including all of the following EXCEPT:
using fertilizer to enhance poorer soil making it adequate for use as farmland
Large scale irrigation projects change the environment in all of the following ways EXCEPT
gross crop production increases
Of the types of genetic engineering possible for modern agricultural use, which one of the following has become a standard methodology?
hybridization
Our current food problems are the result of all of the following EXCEPT:
lack of technology
Which of the following is a FALSE statement?
The environmental effects of GMC are well understood.
In the United States, considerable farmland is "banked." This means
farmers are paid not to grow crops because there is more than enough production
As more and more agricultural lands are converted into cityscapes, future generations will have to depend on _______to meet food needs.
making do on increasingly marginal land
In many parts of the world, the limiting factor to extensive food production is
water availability
Undernourishment results from
lack of sufficient calories in available food
All of the following are reasons food distribution in countries with food shortages fail, EXCEPT
surplus food is unavailable
Most of the world's food is provided by only 14 crop species. Which of the following is NOT one of these?
coffee
A "forage" crop is one that is grown
as food for domestic animals
Future food shortages worldwide will be effected by
the growing human population
the loss of fertile soils
the lack of water for irrigation
global warming
Aquaculture is
the farming of food in aquatic habitats
In natural ecosystems ___________ while in agroecosystems, this is not the case.
biological diversity is optimal
Increasing available nitrogen to a plant increases the plant's uptake and use of phosphorus. This is an example of:
synergistic effect
The world's small-grain production has remained relatively flat since it doubled in 1996 to 2 billion metric tons. This indicates:
world's carrying capacity for small grains has been reached
demand for small grains is not growing
there is a large trade market in small grains
record crops of small grains have been attained
For a product to be certified organic,
food from the crop cannot contain artificial compounds
Monoculture farming practice trades off long-term stability for the opportunity
to have very high production in a single year.
What can be done to help crop production keep pace with human population growth?
seek new plant species to be used as food sources
plant crops in environments little used for agriculture
capitatize on plants eaten locally to extend to a wider market
genetic engineering of crops to increase yield
A vegetable garden is planted in which various legumes (members of the pea family) thrive yet tomatoes and lettuce do poorly. What most likely accounts for this?
garden soil is nitrogen poor and legumes have symbiotic bacteria with nitrogen-fixing abilities
Why are some pig farmers in the United States now feeding their pigs snack food instead of the traditional corn meals.
The use of corn to make the biofuel ethanol has driven the cost of corn beyond the reach of pig farmers.
What role do limiting factors play in determining crop yield?
limiting factors define elements whose availability is least in comparison to the needs of a plant
if the limiting factor is scarce or at unfavorable levels, it restricts the crop yield.
if the limiting factor is not addressed, nothing else will make a di
The older a soil, the more likely its upper layer lacks trace chemical elements. This is because as a soil ages, chemical elements
are leached by water from upper layers to deeper layers
The major goal of agriculture must be to achieve sustainable food production in any location. This requires development of farming methods that:
increase production per unit area
What will be the best way to feed the world in the next 10 years? The next 100 years?
increased production per unit area
Should organic farming be allowed to include genetically modified organisms? Why or why not?
Yes, because gmo's are not violating what organic is
A second vegetable garden is planted in another vacant lot. Nothing grows well. Outside the city, in otherwise similar environments, vegetables grow vigorously. What might explain the difference?
There could be more essencial vitamins in the garden outside the city such as nitrogen and phosphorus, potassium or have too much
A vegetable garden is planted in a vacant lot in a city. Peas and beans grow well, but tomatoes and lettuce do poorly. What is the likely problem? How could it be corrected?
the soil might have been to acidic or too basic for the plant to grow properly or the required minerals might be missing or have too much
How does agriculture simplify an ecosystem? In what ways is this simplification beneficial to people? In what ways does it pose problems for a sustainable food supply?
agriculture makes it easier to grow and regulate making it easier for people to choose good (or bad) choices and have access to food. however, it puts to majority of food in richer areas and not evenly distributed
You are sent into the Amazon rain forest to look for new crop species. In what kinds of habitats would you look? What kinds of plants would you look for?
I would look for a habitat with water, sun, and open spaces. I would look for plants that attract bees and animals
Explain what is meant by the following statement: The world food problem is one of distribution, not of production. What are the major solutions to this world food problem?
at this point in time we do make enough food for everyone but it is unevenly distributed and wasted. We need to support local farming and learn how to not waste/donate
Ranching wild animals�that is, keeping them fenced but never tamed�has been suggested as a way to increase food production in Africa, where wildlife is abundant. Based on this chapter, what are the environmental advantages and disadvantages of such game r
Use less rangeland, harder to get protein and other minerals, eating them would take them away from other uses such as farming, ranching them gives an easier way to collect poo for fertilizer,
How might we use our knowledge of succession to make agriculture sustainable?
like Gmo's, by picking plants that we know come from strong/large plants before them
A city garbage dump is filled; some suggest that the area be turned into a farm. What factors in the dump might make it a good area to farm, and what might make it a poor area to farm?
The decomposition of organic material introduces carbon dioxide and essential nutrients needed for plants to grow. however, there could be chemicals or inorganic materials in the soil
Agroecosystem
aquaculture
crop rotation
genetically modified crops (GMCs)
green revolution
limiting factor
macronutrient
Mariculture
micronutrient
monoculture
Organic farming
pasture
Rangeland
synergistic effect
...
Why do you think there are immediate and intermediate goals when the ultimate objective of the proposed Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment is to "improve water resources management for food security and environmental sustainability with a special foc
Some goal are more complicated than others and require more time and thought to come up with a solution
What are the advantages to having basin (watershed) and local level goals along with country and global levels goals?
...
China, Egypt, India, Mexico, and Pakistan were chosen for the Country Dialogues. Why do you think developing countries were chosen? Why do you think that these specific countries were chosen?
because they are developing they can be observed to see how they develop dialogues with their rich cultural backgrounds
How do the issues that face developing countries differ from the issues facing industrialized countries?
developing countries have a harder time finding access to what industrial countries find commonplace. for example, food and electricity
Droughts occur periodically in the United States and have had profound impacts on our history, e.g., The Dust Bowl. The United States is currently experiencing a drought in the Northeast and Southwest. What positive change might we gain from this experien
Technological advances to lessen evaporation, consciousness of climate change and the environment,
Develop a plan to reduce the negative impact of future droughts on these regions.
even distribution of water, regulation of water use, learn to not waste water, educate people of water and where it comes from/what process it takes to purify it