I. History of Agriculture
A.
Pre-Modern Agriculture
1. Humans require basic nutrition.
2. Humans were foragers and nomadic.
3. Over 10,000 years ago agriculture began.
4. Founding Crops for Human Consumption at that Time:
a. einkorn wheat
b. emmer wheat
c. hulled barley
d. peas
e. lentils
f. bitter vetch
g. chick peas
h. flax
5. Wheat first to be cultivated on a large scale.
6. 7,000 B.C, two regions Cultivated crops on a large Scale:
a. Persian Gulf and around
the Nile River (Fertile Crescent)
b. China produces rice and
wheat crops.
7. Animal Domestication occurred in the Fertile Crescent
a. sheep
b. goat
c. ox
8. South America 3,000-2,700 B.C. crops:
a. maize
b. potato
c. tomato
d. pepper
e. squash
f. varieties of bean
9. Development of intensive domestication of animals and crops around 5,000
B.C.:
a. organized irrigation
b. use of specialized labor
force
c. large plots of cultivated
crops
10. Humans no longer nomadic, human population settling in specific
regions.
11. Establishment of “armies” to protect crops.
12. 1800’s and Industrial Revolution:
a. inventions such as
greenhouses, storage silos, and grain elevators
b. chemicals created for
fertilizing and vitamins for livestock
c. fossil fuel usage for tractors
B.
Moving Towards Modern Agriculture: The Green Revolution
1. Post World War II, science
starts the Green Revolution.
2.
Along with the Green Revolution came industrialization of the agricultural
industry.
a.
increase use of agrochemicals
b.
genetic engineering for crop production
c.
use of antibiotics and supplemental vitamins for livestock
3.
Industrial Agriculture:
a.
technoscientific
b.
economic
c.
political in nature
d.
pressure to increase production to feed mass population
4.
Lower costs and increase productivity consequences:
a.
fertilizers and pesticides lead to pollution
b.
climate change
c.
pesticide resistance in pests and weeds
d.
changing condition for crops
II. Issues of Modern Agriculture
A.
Water Pollution from Fertilizers
1.
Fertilizers washed into our water sources.
2.
Nitrates transported to bodies of water and
water resources:
a.
Nitrates in lakes create plant growth limiting
oxygen for organisms
b.
Nitrates in groundwater are dangerous for consumption
3.
Phosphorus
a.
Major contributor to the buildup of algae
b.
Cause of Eutrophication
B.
Pesticides and Pesticide Resistance
1.
Insects, weeds, and other pests can reduce
quality and quantity of crop
2.
Farmers use pesticide for weed and insect
killing.
3.
Herbicides
a.
Kill weeds
b.
Genetically modified crops resistant to
herbicide
c.
Glyphosate is considered a broad-spectrum herbicide
d.
Crops have bred with weeds and have now produced
glyphosate resistant weeds
4.
Insecticides
a.
Used to control pests
b.
Planted or sprayed on plants
c.
Used often is insecticide called neonicotinoids
d.
Neonicotinoids can be found in waterways
becoming toxic to beneficial insects
e.
Pollinators are contaminated such as bees
C.
Climate Change
1.
Greenhouse gas Emissions
a.
Cultivation of soil releases carbon dioxide
b.
Nitrous oxide released from nitrogen fertilizers
c.
Methane released by livestock belching and from
decomposition manure
2.
Effects of Climate Change
a.
Increase and intensity of agricultural pests and
diseases
b.
Increase frequency and severity of severe weather
resulting in crop lost
c.
Droughts and higher temperatures cause crop loss
and potential agricultural land
D.
Soil Loss
1.
Benefits of soil
a.
Holds nutrients, water, and other beneficial organisms
b.
Anchors roots of plants
c.
Provides mechanism to move water from the
surface to subsurface which can protect from flooding
2.
Cultivation of fields through tillage causes
soil loss
3.
Tillage leaves a field bare over a growing season
4.
Removing plants materials (stubble) and
removing/failing to plant a tree creates soil loss due to trees being able to
break the wind for soil and if soil does blow, trees capture the soil.
III. What is Sustainable Agriculture?
A.
Defining Sustainable Agriculture
1.
Produce food by ecologically sound and sustainable
means
2.
Keeping soil healthy
3.
Promoting diversity
4.
Care of water systems
5.
Minimizing pollutions
6.
Consideration for organisms; plants, insects,
microorganisms in soil
7.
Promotes systems that are economically viable,
environmentally friendly, and safe for public health
8.
Reduces inputs from fossil fuels
B.
Food Security and Food Safety
1. Food security
and food nutrition, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization for the
United Nations (FAO) (2011), “exists when all people, at all times, have
physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food
that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy
life”
2. Food sovereignty:
the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food, produced
through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define
their own food and agriculture systems.
3. Additives and
preservatives added to foods to increase shelf life
4. Public concerned
over what is in their food, demanding for healthy foods and safe consumptions
C.
Complexity of the
Agricultural and Food Production System
1.
food chain encompasses a very wide
range of producers, commodities, buyers, and sellers
2.
the food process and distribution consist of
many players in the game
a.
produces
b.
commodities
c.
buyers
d.
sellers
3.
multi glomerates such as Cargill dominate the
food and agriculture industry
4.
consumers attempt to control what they eat:
a.
farmer’s Markets
b.
Food Co-ops
c.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs
5.
Small Farmers are affected by globalization and
free trade.
6.
Poor Canadian policies have a created an environment
where input costs are high and revenue is low
7.
In 1966, Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program
(SAWP) was created
a.
Laborers from Jamaica, Mexico, and other Caribbean
countries can work on Canadian farms temporarily
b.
Concerns about how migrant workers are treated
are an issue
IV. Practices in Sustainable Agriculture
A.
Integrated Pest Management
1.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) an environmental
approach to pests
a.
Inspection
b.
Monitoring
c.
Reporting
d.
Yellow sticky traps
e.
Pheromones
2.
IPM is intensive and requires a lot of work
B.
Organic Farming Through Intercropping
1.
Cultivating two or more crops (polyculture)
2.
Water and natural resources are used efficiently
3.
Two main intercropping techniques
a.
Spatial intercropping: arrangement of crops in
the field
b.
Temporal intercropping: crops do not have to be sown
or harvested at the same time, just grown together
4.
For farmers to become organically certified and
use labels on their produce, must meet Canadian Organic Standards
C.
Enhancing Biodiversity in Agroecosystems
1.
Increase diversity through intercropping and polyculture
2. Cover crops
3. Flowers to increase pollinators and pest enemies
D. New Trends: Diversified Agroecological Farming
1. Land use and intensified agriculture has endangered 60% of threatened species
2. Diversification
a. practices that enhance biodiversity
b. pesticide use reduction
c. field boundary structures
d. diversity of crops and intercropping
3. Agroecology: science that uses concepts and principals of ecology to promote a more sustainable food production
E. Case Study: Drinking Tea in a Healthier environment
1. synthetic pesticides used for tea growing
2. pesticide kills beneficial predators and parasitoids causing pest outbreak
3. damaged tea leaves by pests lead to it being less marketable
4. more pesticide use leading to residue on leaves
5. farms now moving to sustainable farming due to new environmental regulations and standards
F. Case Study: What about fertilizers?
1. chemical fertilizers made of petroleum or rock
2. organic fertilizers minimally processed and used in its natural state
3. manure and compost well known organic fertilizers
4. agrominerals: naturally occurring rocks and minerals that contain plant benefits
Agriculture comes with both benefits and consequences. Since
the beginning, agriculture appeared to be a logical process of providing food
for the community. As humans made the transition from foragers to farmers, food
was now out of the equation leaving roles. Civilization sprung from agriculture
and settlement. As we know, civilization brought upon classes and rankings. Therefore,
leaders were established, as was laborers or slaves. These laborers and slaves
worked out in the field and now needed was protection. So, from there, you have
borders and property. Agriculture set off a chain of historical events as I
have described. Humans were settling and increasing in population. Due to this
population, a demand in food productivity was needed. Large crop lots and
animal domestication to assist with the labor began its journey. Animal
domestication had also created a desire for both crops and livestock. When
large quantities are grown, it becomes harder to control. Pests, disease, and
lack of nutrition can take over crops. The Green Revolution industrialized the
agriculture industry. Chemicals were created for fertilizers, pesticides, and supplements
for livestock. Eventually, as was inevitable, rain and other precipitation
washed these chemicals into large bodies of water and our water resources.
Thus, contaminating our drinking supply and water areas such as lakes. Greenhouse
gas emissions has also made its contribution to agriculture caused pollution.
Chemicals used produce gasses such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
Livestock animals produce methane gas when they belch or through the decomposition
of their manure. These factors have now become the building blocks to climate
change. Climate change has been both been due to the modern practices of agriculture
and has also began to degrade agriculture. Unpredictable weather patterns cause
droughts and floods destroying crops. There
have even been instances where the land and soil are completely depleted of
their nutrients and resources for future crops. Sustainable agriculture has now
been an option of necessity and a new movement for farmers, customers, and
government. Consumers are now being conscious of the food they eat and where
they come from. The public demands fair wages and labor for farmers and
migrants involved. They also demand that food be healthy and safe for
consumption. With this growing awareness and concern by the public and farmers,
the government is taking notice and polices and legislations are being called
for to protect small farmers and migrants and to create a food processing chain
production that is environmentally friendly, sustainable, and clean and safe
for the public to eat.
Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC). (2017). Sustainable agriculture, in Environmental sustainability in practice. http://brockuesrc.ca/environmental-sustainability-in-practice/sustainable-agriculture
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