GEO 702 Lecture 3 Notes PDF

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GEO 702-Lecture#3: Feb 4, 2016Agricultural revolution: the since and business of cultivating corps and raising animals for consumption or sale. Agrarian revolution: characterized by family-based.Stages of the revolution: 1- Domestication of plants and animals; careful selection in breeding types of ...

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GEO 702-Lecture#3: 4, 2016

Feb

Agricultural revolution: the since and business of cultivating corps and raising animals for consumption or sale. Agrarian revolution: characterized by family-based. Stages of the revolution: 1- Domestication of plants and animals; careful selection in breeding types of animals. Started in Tigers and euphrates aka the feta crescent, china; rice, south America; potato. -The potential reason to cultivate is the population growth, the oasis hypothesis, the heap dump(landfills), and the cultural progression hypothesis (society from traditional to more advanced and industrialized state) -Subsistence: growing staple crops to meet family needs; in contrast with commercial agriculture, cultivation for the sake of sale. 2- Domestication of animals: consists of: - Pastoral nomadism: cattle ranches, they move systematically in search for water and food or pasture. E.g. The Fulani regions of Africa. ⁃ Sedentary pastoralists: they move cattle from field for pasture . E.g the budonin the region of Libya and Egypt. ⁃ Transhumance: group of headers they move according to the rhythm of the weather, they move to cooler high land areas in summer, and to the valley area in winter for warmer areas. They re found in Afganistan, Mongolia and the mountain ranges areas or grass land 3- Intensive cultivation: Crop rotation; Planting different type of crops in the same land and multiple seasons according the demand of the plants each season. E.g. The shifting cultivation and Sweden agriculture. The purpose to have more fertile soil and mixture of products or plants. (Shifting Land fallow: leaving the land for a period of time after its exhaustion, using different field. 4- Sweden Agriculture/ slash and burn characterized by using hoes, cutlasses other equipment to cultivate the plants. 5- The industrialization in 1750s; Reciprocal relationship emerged between agriculture and manufacturing industries. 6- The collops of feudalism: the relationship between landlord and peasant farmers. The establishment of the individual land ownership was emerged as a result.

The third agricultural is characterized by the following:

⁃ mechanisation: invention of tractors and peer ploughs and reapers, rock pickers, seeders, and combine harvesters. ⁃ Development of fungisides, insecticides, weedicide, herbicides, and rodenticides. ⁃ Manufacturing and processing of food: cannery, meat packaging, etc. 7- The industrial Agriculture: the moving to the more complex farming system by using fossils fuel to food production, the use of flavours this process called as the Agri-business; input production and output processing of food. It implies many chemical to the production of crops and raising animals (hormones injected in chicken). **Characteristics of the 7th same as the 3rd agriculture revolution; complex food production system and global commodity chain; food is consumed at a grater distance from farms. It also used by multi-national corporations to run the food business e.g. McDonalds, Nestle, Starbucks. In this process, huge value is made by the corporations by the fare trade.** The final development of the food system, called the GREEN revolution; Noman Borlaung" those who wants to feed the world w organic farming is rediculous". Advantages of the GREEN revolution: ⁃ Recombinant DNA technology: adding and deleting genes from the genetic formation. - Two kinds of breeding activities: transfer genes from two species of the same crop (artificial or classical); and transfer genes across species, (transgenecal modification) ⁃ The fast growth of crops ⁃ Products can withstand deseases, and can thrive in cold environment ⁃ Enhance the nutritional value in food e.g. The yellow rice. Benefits of BIOTECHNOLOGY: ⁃ intensifications and extensification ⁃ Reduce the acquisition of new lands for cultivation ⁃ Precision farming- genes lethal to pets

GEO 702-Lecture#4: Agriculture, continued Benefits if biotechnology to agriculture: -Intensification: increase output per hector of land which is cultivated, by applying irrigation system, crop rotation or any activity to improve the output of land. -Extensification: increase size of land which is cultivated, by bringing marginal land, and plant crops that adopted to harsh environment. Reduce the acquisition

of land. It requires precision farming (genes lethal to pets e.g the Bt genes that produce protein lethal to insects). *** inside Norway "doomsday" seed vault Problems of the green revolution: -water consumption, requires irrigation systems, and fuels. Vandana Shiva -Biodiversity loss through monoculture -Diseases, pests and bio-invation -Bio fuel affect food availability Food security: Getting access to enough food at acceptable quality. ⁃ 48% of adult canadians are over weight and 14% are obese. Lack of bakance in food consumption ⁃ Kwashiorkor: over consumption of carbohydrates -Biotech companies like Monsanto into bio-power. Quinoa Organic farming: The food and agriculture organization ( FAO) --check the slides for definition--Soil as a system: social consist of mineral matter , organic matter, air and water, organic farming farming enhances soil fertility and encourages crops to develop deep roots -- which is better organic or GM crops?-- key arguments for midterm.

Soil management: ⁃ many alternative cropping systematic include; crop rotation, terracing, shelterbelt, reduced tillage. ⁃ Other farmers practicing organic farming.

Types of cropping in regions: -Crop rotation: alternating the type of crops in different years -Counter farming: plowing furrows sideways across hilsides, perpendicular to the slope, to prevent rills and gulies. Oak ridges moraine. Undulating rolling. -Terracing: level platforms cut into steep slope, forming a staircase to contain water. -Intercropping: planting different types of crops in alternating bands or other spatially mixed arrangements to increase ground cover. -Shelter belts or windbreakers: row of tall perennial plants are planted along the edges of fields to slow the wind. -Reduced tillages: furrows are cut in the soil, the seed is dropped in and the furrow is closed.

Agro-Ecosystem health: 1- biological control wasps kills caterpillar for example 2- BT- genes 3- integrated pest management: ⁃ Habitats alterations ⁃ Biocontrol ⁃ Crop rotation

Discussion Questions: 1. Distinguish between agrarian and agriculture and explain 4 features of agroecosystem health. Agriculture: is the science, business, and practice of farming through the cultivation of the soil, growing of crops, and raising livestock for living needs and market. Agrarian: is the determination of a land's accessibility from practices of diverse agricultural communities. The long-lasting agricultural practices by farmers determine the characteristics that a specific land can possess. In other words, the way land was cultivated.

Four features of agroecosystem health Erosion: A healthy agroecosystem will combat erosion to maintain a healthy layer of topsoil. This is usually accomplished with the use of a layer of mulch to prevent the decaying of vegetation to contribute to the initial steps of erosion. Recycling of Chemicals and Nutrients: Agroecosystems tend to recycle chemicals and nutrients from several agricultural techniques such as diversifying crops within a specific field to produce nitrogen and maintaining another crop that absorbs nitrogen. As well, the recycling of carbon within the Earth's atmosphere with the use of carbon sinks is another way this feature is present in the agroecosystems. Soil Sustainability: The sustainability of soil is presented in an agroecosystem through practices such as shifting cultivation where farmers would relocate after the soil has nearly been depleted of its nutrients (but not extinct). The transition allows rejuvenation of soil which presents a cycle of maintenance within an agroecosystem.

Moisture retention: agroecosystems encourage plants to retain the amount of water supply through practices such as planting trees nearby to prevent evaporation (water somehow escaping the agroecosystem from the soil).

Rich in organic matter: Nutrient exchange between organic matter, water, and soil is critical for soil fertility and must be preserved for long-term development. This helps the crops to consume the nutrients they need.

Pathogen suppression: By spreading from plant to plant and damaging plant tissue, pathogens that propagate quickly among plants and kill their tissues will devastate an agriculture's overall success. This necessitates urgent attention and is often treated with chemicals.

Healthy Structure: The soil must have a stable structure that allows nutrients to be absorbed and distributed. To further maximize the maximum number of nutritious crops, agricultural soils must be nutrient-rich.

2. What is the basis of the Von Thunen Agriculture land use model and what is its importance in agriculture land use planning? The Von Thuen land use theory holds the basis that a certain piece of land will be used by a specific activity that can generate the highest net rent. More specifically, all land will be used or sold to the highest and best use. The highest use can be considered how much profit/rent the single piece of land can generate(ex: growing incredibly expensive wine on a winery instead of low-cost wine). The best use of the land can be considered what products most take advantage of the attributes of the land(Ex: Canada and parts of Northern Europe are known for their Ice wine which sees the winemaking process happen in much harsher and colder climate thus giving the wine a different taste. Other regions in the world such as Africa and South America would be unable to do this as their lands are not optimal for ice wine thus making the colder regions the "best" ones). Von Thuen made the following assumptions when making the agricultural land use theory: The landscape will be an isolated state, it is an isotropic plain which means that the land is essentially the same all throughout it, all the crops have a uniform production with no differences between how they are produced or harvested, and there would be a central marketplace. Aside from these assumptions the only other factor to consider were transportation costs. This was done by accounting for the

distance from the market in which the land was and the rent in $ per unit of the crop. An equilibrium is looked for when comparing these variables.

3. Explain the differences among shifting cultivation, swidden agriculture and intensive subsistence agriculture. Shifting cultivation involves moving to new pasture lands every 3 to 5 years which allows the abandoned land to be replenished with nutrients for recovery of its soil fertility, and subsequently reverting back to the original land for farming. Every periodic move to new pastures requires the clearance of bushes and burning off the collected and dried up leaves, the ashes of which help loosen the soil for cultivation. This practice of traditional farming has its limitations particularly so when the population expands. A growing population leads to division of the land resulting in smaller areas for cultivation in the long run. Swidden agriculture involves cropping of existing plants in the pasture land and burning off the dried shrubs which helps increases the nutrient levels in the soil. This farming practice is adopted by smaller populations and for limited portions of land. Unlike the shifting cultivation which burns off the accumulated leaves at a common gathering site, the burning of the shrub all over the pasture land in the case of swidden agriculture carries the risk of spreading beyond the region especially when done by a larger group of farmers. This could endanger species in the surrounding area, making it an ecological destructive farming practice. Intensive subsistence agriculture is usually deployed to cover up for the growth in population. This farming practice involves the use of soil management techniques like crop rotation and use of animal dung for improving the soil fertility, unlike the practice of shifting to new pasture lands or burning of cut-off shrubs adopted by other traditional farming practices like shifting cultivation and swidden agriculture.

4. Explain the differences among transhumance, pastoral nomadism, sedentism and ranching. Sedentism: The practice of living in one place for long periods of time as a permanent settlement. This was established around 12,000 years ago, the farmers would keep their livestock in one place as well and wouldn't deplete the natural resources too quickly like in nomadism. Pastoral Nomadism: Usually occurs where agriculture is hard to accomplish. The pastoralism aspect is breeding and raising animals, whereas the Nomadism is the farmer moving from one place to another to look for pasture for their animals. This is the opposite of sedentism and usually leads to overgrazing, whereas sedentism tries to prevent overgrazing. Transhumance: Similar to pastoral nomadism in the fact that they move, however in transhumance, the movement is based on seasons. The difference also lies in

transhumance can have a set winter and summer pasture whereas nomadism is moving anywhere after the land has been depleted. Ranching: Raising livestock for economic benefit. The animals are usually raised in large groups and use up a lot of pasture. When ranching, the main purpose is to sell the products of the animal rather than use them. Ranching is growing faster than any of the other agricultural sectors.

5. Explain the four agricultural revolutions. The first agricultural revolution is the domestication of plants and animals, and these are homogeneous communities. When People can not produce all of the product by self, so they exchange the good and services between the producer. For example, a farmer plant tomato and other farmer produce rice. However, both farmers need both products, but they do not have enough resources to cultivate both products. T fertile crescent area of the Tigris and Euphrates river in the middle east a major empire civilization. Second agriculture revolution is started throughout the industrial revolution in the 1700s. In this revolution, agriculture produces basic food and manufacture produce tools and agriculture machinery. This reduces the workload and increases the area of the agriculture landing. Third agriculture development involved three major types first, hybridization and genetic engineering of products, increased use of pesticide and fertilizer, fungicides, and weed controller to increase agriculture yield. Second, the machine used to prepare the land for agriculture cutting trees and the high invention of the tractor to prepare the land for agriculture. Third process food method also generates for this revolution RAW farm product to process food by over product and the best marketing. Fourth agriculture development is Industrial agriculture. It was marked by several innovations in biotechnology, the largest and most well know innovation which is known as recombinant DNA technology Industrial agriculture's use of recombinant DNA technology reduces the product cost and saves money and resources. The biotechnology tissue culture, clone, and other hybridize plant technology helps to improve the outcomes of agriculture; Recombinant DNA is used to identify, map and sequence genes and determine their function.

6. What are the stages associated with the development of genetically modified organisms? Genetic engineering is the process of taking a desired gene of an organism and either isolate, spliced our the surrounding genetic sequence, clone using laboratory technique, and inserted into the host organism which is being modified. The host crop is the observed to see if any display of

transformation manifests. The steps for genetically modifying and organism is as follows: 1. Identification of the bacteria 2. Isolate and harvest the DNA 3. Clone and design new genes 4. Observation and transformation 5. Cell and tissue culture 6. Plant breeding In realty, they are subsets of the steps above which must be completed before moving onto the next step, but the steps above give the most general and basic ideas of the necessary steps involved in genetic engineering of organisms.

7. What are the relative advantages of organic farming over industrial agriculture? Organic farming refers to the use of vegetable and livestock using natural nutrients, sources, and cultivation methods. It involves the use of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations to fertilize the soil, maximize biological activity and maintain long-term soil health. There are many advantages of organic farming over industrial agriculture. One is that less industrialized countries benefit from organic farming. Secondly, since organic farming uses natural methods of agriculture, it helps reduce the use of fossil fuels and has a positive impact on the environment. Additionally, it reduces the use of pesticides. Organic farming also helps increase the diversity of crop being grown. Some of the techniques used in organic farming have a positive impact on the environment and improve overall quality and quantity of the crops being produced. For example, the ‘Reduced tillage’ method causes the soil to become very spongy, this reduces the cost of irrigation, as well as acting as a carbon sink. Overall, it enhances the soil fertility. Another example is shelterbelts, in which the rows of tall tree act as a cushion, protecting the crops against excessive sunlight and from wind.

To summarize, organic farming has many benefits over industrial agriculture including: 

Enhanced soil fertility and long-term soil health.

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Reduction in the use of fossil fuels.

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Creates employment and provides a nutritious diet, which is especially useful in developing countries.

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Promotes the diversification of crops using intercropping.

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Promotes the health of animals, plants and the environment since it does not use commercial fertilizers and pesticides. This improves the crops resistance to pests and diseases.

8. Explain 4 soil management techniques. Crop Rotation This technique involves alternating the type of crop grown in a specific field from one season or year to the next. This is beneficial as it breaks cycles of diseases associated with continuous cropping, returns nutrients to the soil, and minimizes erosion that can result from letting fields being left exposed. This technique also reduces insect pests because if an insect has adapted to feed and lay eggs on a specific crop, planting a crop will leave its offspring with nothing to feed on. Intercropping This technique involves planting different types of crops in alternating bands or other spatially mixed arrangements. This helps slow erosion by providing more complete ground cover. It also provides other benefits such as reducing vulnerability to disease and insect incidence. Contour Farming This technique involves plowing furrow sideways across a hillside, perpendicular to its slope which helps prevents formations of rills and gullies. The downhill side of each furrow acts as a small dam that slows runoff and soil gets caught before it is carried away. Terracing This involves level platforms (sometimes with raised edges) that are cut into steep hillsides to hold and contain water from precipitation and irrigation. This technique changes slopes into series of steps similar to a staircase, allowing farmers to cultivate hilly land without losing large amounts of soil to water erosion....