Food Production and Pesticides

Crop duster Food production of the twentieth century was spurred on by the Green Revolution; this movement significantly improved agricultural techniques - increasing yield and soon industrialized food production was born. Unfortunately, with this new technology, also came many negative environmental consequences. An early herald, biologist Rachel Carson and her book Silent Spring sounded the warning of the dangers of unregulated pesticide use leading to changes in legislation protecting the environment. Although a result of both drought and poor soil management, the devastation and soil loss during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, marked the need for proper soil conservation.

More recently, aquaculture and the Blue Revolution have led to the farming of aquatic plants and animals, new food sources, and new environmental consequences. The future demand on agricultural production requires less pesticide use and an overall lower environmental impact, but the continued growth of food production per unit area. Is this really possible? Some increases in yield have been accomplished, in part, through the creation of transgenic organisms, organisms with genes inserted to protect against dangers to crops like pests or freezing temperatures. Perhaps the current hope for feeding our rapidly growing population is the gene revolution.

Essential Questions

What is food security and why is it difficult to attain?
What environmental problems arise from industrialized food production?
How can we produce food more sustainably?
What agricultural methods best limit soil erosion?
What methods can restore soil fertility?
What types of agricultural methods tend to promote pest species?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of modern synthetic pesticides?
What are the laws and treaties that protect us from the harmful effects of pesticides?
What is integrated pest management (IPM)?
What problems are associated with chemical pesticides?
What are the pros and cons of the genetic modification of crops?

Key Terms

Agroforestry - the combination of agriculture and forestry to create sustainable land-use systems, which take advantage of the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock.
Food security-   the availability of food and routine access to it so that individuals are not suffering from or in fear of hunger
Genetically Modified organisms (GMOs)- organisms, including those that are food sources, that have had their DNA directly altered usually by the addition of a desired gene or genes using biotechnical techniques.
Green Revolution- the period history, between the 1940s to the 1970s, where technology, policy, and research significantly increased agricultural production and the ability to feed the growing population
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)- the combination and application of agricultural techniques to improve the efficacy of, decrease cost and have the least environmental impact on the control of pests
Intercropping- the cultivation of two or more crops in the same field at the same time to increase yield for the land and decrease pest issues
Malnutrition- the physical condition that is the result of an imbalanced diet lacking key nutrients
Monoculture -agricultural method of growing a single crop over a large area, usually over multiple years widely used as a part of industrial agriculture
Overnutrition- a type of malnutrition caused by the taking in of excessive calories and nutrients often leading to obesity  
Pesticide- an agent with the applied purpose to kill, prevent or deter an undesired living organism or "pest" of some type
Polyculture- agricultural method of growing multiple crops in the same area and includes both ancient and modern techniques
Polyvarietal cultivation - planting different varieties of the same crop
Rachel Carson - American marine biologist whose book Silent Spring raised awareness of the human impact on the environment and help develop the environmental movement
Subsistence Farming - a traditional farming technique based on supplying the needs of the farmer and family
Strip cropping- planting technique to prevent soil erosion by planting crops in strips that are able to capture water
Undernutrition - the inadequate intake of calories/ nutrients potentially leading to health consequences such as growth and development impairment and
Plantation agriculture- commercial tropical or subtropical agricultural system based on the export of goods
Hydroponics- an agricultural technique using water and nutrients instead of soil, to grow plants
Slash and burn agriculture (also called swidden)- ancient subsistence agricultural technique to increase soil fertility by burning existing plants before replanting the area
Aquaculture- the farming of aquatic organisms in highly controlled conditions
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)- early synthetic insecticide, an organochlorine, that is highly persistent in the environment and has been banned in the US since 1972 because of its biomagnification in birds of prey and potential health risks to humans
Organic (farming and food)- food and agricultural techniques meeting specific standards according to the USDA's requirements
Organic- compounds containing both carbon and hydrogen (may also contain other elements, notably nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, potassium, and oxygen)
Inorganic- compounds that do not contain both carbon and hydrogen
Transgenic- an organism that's genome contains an added gene or genes from a different species
Genome - the entirety of the DNA of an organism, for example, the human genome contains 46 chromosome
Arable- land capable of producing crops

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.