Food Supply & Monoculture Farming

Food Supply

• Modern technology has significantly increased food production.
• Agricultural machinery enables cultivation of larger land areas, improving food production efficiency.
• Chemical fertilizers improve crop yields by providing essential nutrients and minerals.
• Insecticides destroy insects that harm crops, improving yield quality and quantity.
• Herbicides reduce competition from weeds, maximizing crop growth by eliminating plants that compete for resources like root space and sunlight.
• Selective breeding enhances production in both crop plants and livestock, improving agricultural output such as disease resistance in food crops.

Monoculture Farming

• Monoculture farming involves the continuous cultivation of a single crop species on a specific agricultural land.
• Growing corn is an example of monoculture farming.

Advantages - Large-Scale Monocultures

• Managing and controlling operations is easier with only one crop present.
• Resources like water, fertilizers, and machinery are used more efficiently.
• Agricultural technology specialized for specific crops is promoted.
• Focus and efficiency can lead to increased profits.

Disadvantages - Large-Scale Monocultures

• The variety of plants, animals, and beneficial organisms in an area is reduced.
• Homogeneous crop environments are prone to pest outbreaks, potentially damaging crops.
• Heavy insecticide use can harm the environment, impact non-target organisms, and contribute to pesticide resistance.

Livestock Production

• Livestock production means rearing and managing animals like cattle, poultry, and sheep for meat, milk, eggs, or fiber.

Benefits of Intensive Livestock Production

• It supports the economy and agricultural industry.
• It generates employment and supports related industries like feed suppliers and equipment manufacturers.
• It helps meet the growing demand for animal-based food products, ensuring a stable supply of meat, dairy, and eggs.

Disadvantages of Intensive Livestock Production

• Disease spreads more easily due to animals being kept in close proximity, raising the risk of outbreaks.
• Welfare issues arise due to restricted movement, unnatural living conditions, and increased stress faced by animals kept closely together.

Habitat Destruction

• Biodiversity refers to the variety of different species that live in an area.
• A habitat is the natural home of a plant or animal.
• Humans have reduced biodiversity by destroying habitats.

Reasons for Habitat Destruction

• Increased area for housing, crop plant production, and livestock production requires clearing or modifying natural habitats.
• Extraction of natural resources such as forests or minerals through logging, mining, and drilling leads to habitat destruction.
• Pollution of freshwater bodies and marine ecosystems from industrial waste disposal or agricultural runoff can harm and destroy habitats by altering food webs and food chains.

Human Impact on Habitats

• Overharvesting and introducing non-native species can upset the balance of species interactions within habitats, negatively impacting ecosystems.

Deforestation

• Deforestation is the clearing of trees, which is an example of habitat destruction.

Undesirable Effects of Deforestation

• Leads to the loss of diverse plant and animal species that depend on forests.
• Can result in the extinction of species unable to adapt or find alternative habitats.
• Often leads to soil erosion as tree roots no longer hold the soil together, resulting in depletion and decreased fertility.
• Can lead to increased surface runoff, soil erosion, and an elevated risk of flooding as trees no longer regulate water flow.
• Contributes to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to higher levels of greenhouse gases and global warming, as trees absorb less carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.