Page 290 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

• The increased efficiency of production fed more people Analyze the nature, growth, and potential of organic
while reducing the amount of natural land converted for agriculture
farming. (pp. 265–266)
• Organic agriculture, because it reduces chemical and fossil
• The expanded use of fossil fuels, chemical fertilizers, and fuel inputs, exerts fewer environmental impacts than indus-
synthetic pesticides enhanced yields but has also increased trial agriculture. (pp. 275–277)
pollution and soil degradation. (p. 266)
• Scientific studies show that organic agriculture is produc-
tive and is a realistic alternative to industrial agriculture.
Assess how we raise animals for food (pp. 276–277)
• As wealth has increased, so has consumption of animal • Organic agriculture comprises a small part of the market
products. (p. 267) but is growing rapidly. (p. 278)
• Eating animal products leaves a greater ecological foot-
print than eating plant products. (pp. 267–268) Describe the science behind genetic engineering

• Feedlots create waste and pollution, but they also relieve • Genetic modification uses recombinant DNA technology
pressure on lands that could otherwise be overgrazed. (pp. to move genes for desirable traits from one type of organ-
268–269) ism to another. (p. 279)
• Aquaculture provides economic benefits and food security, • Genetic engineering is both like and unlike traditional
relieves pressures on wild fish stocks, and can be sustain- selective breeding. (pp. 279–280)
able. (pp. 269–270) • GM foods have spread rapidly and now account for a large
• Aquaculture also gives rise to pollution, habitat loss, and portion of our food supply. (p. 281)
other environmental impacts. (p. 270) • Biotech crops can offer benefits for sustainable agriculture,
although these have not reached their potential. (p. 282)
Describe approaches for preserving crop diversity • GM crops can have ecological impacts, including the
• Protecting diversity of native crop varieties provides insur- spread of transgenes and an increase in herbicide pollution.
ance against failure of major crops. (pp. 270–271) (pp. 282–283)
• Seed banks preserve rare and local varieties of seed, acting Evaluate the public debate over genetically modified
as storehouses for genetic diversity. (p. 271)
food
Discuss the importance of pollination • Many people have ethical qualms about altering food
through genetic engineering. (p. 283)
• Insects and other organisms are essential for the reproduc-
tion of many crop plants. (p. 272) • Development of biotech foods has been controlled by mul-
tinational biotechnology corporations, which many crit-
• Conservation of pollinating insects is vitally important to ics view as a threat to the independence of small farmers.
our food security. (p. 272) (pp. 283–286)
• Debate continues over whether to label GM foods in the
Explore strategies for pest management marketplace. (p. 286)
• We kill “pests” and “weeds” with synthetic chemicals
that can pollute the environment and pose health hazards. Summarize pathways to sustainable agriculture CHAPTER 10 • A g R i C ulT u RE , Bi o TECH nology, A nd THE Fu T u RE o F Food
(pp. 272–273)
• A variety of approaches—from biotechnology to organic
• Pests can evolve resistance to chemical pesticides, leading agriculture—give us ways to pursue sustainable agricul-
us to design more toxic poisons. (p. 273) ture. (p. 283–286)
• The practice of biological control employs natural enemies • Locally supported agriculture, as shown by farmers’ mar-
of pests against them. (p. 274) kets and community-supported agriculture, is growing in
popularity. (p. 287)
• Integrated pest management combines various tech-
niques and minimizes the use of synthetic chemicals. • Mimicking natural ecosystems is a key approach to making
(pp. 274–275) agriculture sustainable. (pp. 287–288)

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