Tradi'onal Agriculture
The History of Agriculture Agriculture raising of crops and livestock for food OR for other products that are useful to humans. Began over 10,000 years ago This period was called the Agricultural Revolu@on Prior to humans were primarily hunter- gatherers Agriculture allowed human popula@on to grow at unprecedented rates hcp://www.x@meline.com/@meline/history- of- agriculture- 1
Origins of Agriculture First used in the Middle East in a region running from present- day Turkey to Iraq and Israel called the Fer'le Crescent. Barley and wild wheat were abundant flood river plains were used.
Agricultural Revolu'on Plants we grow and eat ( domes@cated ) today are descended from wild plants Example - Teosinte: ancestor of modern corn Farmers collected seeds from plants that exhibited the quali@es they desired Seeds were planted and harvested again and again Evolu@on of Corn Teosinte vs. Zea Mays
Agriculture Models Subsistence agriculture: growing food for consump@on by farmer s family Commercial (modern) agriculture: growing food for sale off the farm, heavy use of machinery, fossil fuels, and technology Sustainable Agriculture Small acreage Crop rota@on Co- plan@ng Fallow fields Regionally- appropriate crops Locally eaten and sold Modern Agriculture Large acreage Monoculture Extensive use of fer@lizers Extensive use of pes@cides Irriga@on Subsidies to overproduce Selec@on of cash crops following subsidies Crop selec@on for animal feed
Agricultural Revolu'on Destruc@on of habitats Made room for more crops to grow Grasslands, forests, and wetlands were replaced with farmland Replacement of forest caused: Soil loss Floods Water shortages
Agribusiness Agribusiness encompasses all the businesses involved in agricultural food produc@on, including: farming, contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, distribu@on, processing, marke@ng, and retail sales. One of the largest and most diverse industries in the US. Es@mated 2012 revenue = $2.4 trillion Major industry stakeholders Monsanto, Cargill, ADM (Archer Daniels Midland), etc.
U.S. Crop Produc'on Major agricultural crops produced in the United States in 2000 (excluding root crops, citrus, vegetable, etc). Crop Harvested Area (million acres) Cash Receipts from Sales ($ billion) Corn (grain) 72.7 15.1 Soybeans 72.7 12.5 Hay 59.9 3.4 Wheat 53.0 5.5 CoCon 13.1 4.6 Sorghum (grain) 7.7 0.82 Rice 3.0 1.2 hcp://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/cropmajor.html
Earl Butz Head of the Department of Agriculture in the 1970 s. His major change - promoted bigger farms and encouraged get big or get out. Responsible for crea@ng direct payments to grow corn = subsidies Subsidies sum of money granted by government or a public body to assist an industry/ business so price of commodity can remain low/compe@@ve
Corn Most heavily subsidized crop Corn is the major source of food in the American diet Almost everything Americans eat contains corn: high fructose corn syrup, corn- fed meat, and corn- based processed foods are the staples of the modern diet. One bushel of industrial corn requires ¼ to 1/3 gallons of oil for produc@on = 50 gallons of oil/acre of corn
Issues with Conven@onal Agriculture
Monocultures Growing a single crop or plant species over a wide area for many years. ex. lawns, corn fields, tree farms Widely used in industrial agriculture for large crop yields with licle labor input. However, they can lead to quicker spread of disease or use more soil nutrients.
Livestock, Dairy, & Poultry Animals raised for product output or slaughtered for consump@on. account for over half of the value of U.S. agricultural products olen exceeding $100 billion per year. Issues include overcrowding to maximize profit in large- scale opera@ons disease spread in monocultures use of an@bio@cs excessive waste output
Dairy Cows Trace amounts of hormones, blood, and pus can be found in milk from industrial processes
Poultry Farms Chickens are olen debeaked to prevent damage and cannibalism at crowded farms
Energy Inputs vs. Outputs Kilocalories of fossil fuel input per kilocalorie of protein output Pigs Feed lot beef Broiler Chicken Free range beef Sheep Vegetables
Fish Farms Leads to over crowding - can cause disease, stress, and pollu@on, and local habitat destruc@on Dead or diseased fish are olen ground up and fed to live fish Sea lice
Slash and Burn Agricultural technique which involves cumng and burning of forests to create fields commonly used prac@ce in the Amazon Typically used in subsistence farming since it needs licle technology or tools
Environmental Impacts of Agriculture High use of fossil fuels and pes@cides Air pollu@on Pressures on non- renewable resources Untreated animal wastes and agricultural chemicals Water pollu@on Harms fisheries Insects, weeds, and disease- causing organisms developing resistance to pes@cides Contaminate food supply
Environmental Impacts of Agriculture Land degrada@on Decreases future ability of land to support crops or livestock Habitat fragmenta@on Breakup of large areas of habitat into small, isolated patches Cul@va@ng marginal lands Irriga@ng dry land Cul@va@ng land prone to erosion
Pes'cides Residue on Produce Highest Lowest Apples Asparagus Bell peppers Avocados Celery Bananas Cherries Broccoli Imported grapes Cauliflower Nectarines Peaches Kiwi Peas Potatoes Corn (sweet corn) Mangos Onions Red Raspberries Papayas Spinach Pineapple Strawberries Peas (sweet) Released 10/21/2003 by EWG
Gene'c Engineering Manipula@on of genes by taking specific gene from a cell of one species and placing it into the cell of an unrelated species
Solu'ons to Large Scale Agriculture