15 Questions
What are some advantages of intensive livestock farming?
Less land required, food production all year round, lower cost of production, lower labour requirement.
What are some disadvantages of intensive livestock farming?
Use of herbicides leading to eutrophication, pesticides impacting the food chain, ethical concerns about animal treatment, destruction of natural habitats, ecological issues like reduced biodiversity, soil erosion, and methane production.
How does intensive livestock farming impact the environment?
It can lead to eutrophication, pesticide effects on the food chain, reduced biodiversity, soil erosion, and increased methane production.
What are some practices commonly seen in intensive livestock farming?
Feeding high energy foods, using antibiotics preventatively, keeping animals in warm confined spaces with limited movement.
How does intensive livestock farming reduce the cost of food production?
By requiring less land, lower labor needs, and allowing continuous food production.
What are the ecological concerns associated with intensive livestock farming?
Reduction of biodiversity due to monoculture, soil erosion from overgrazing, and methane emissions from a large number of cattle.
What is monoculture farming and what are its main drawbacks?
Monoculture farming is the large-scale growth of a single variety of plant on a given area of agricultural land. The main drawbacks are: lower biodiversity, increased pest populations leading to greater use of insecticides, and the development of pesticide resistance in pests.
How has the production of palm oil changed over the last 30 years?
Palm oil production has increased rapidly over the last 30 years.
What are the potential consequences of using chemical pesticides and insecticides in monoculture farming?
The use of chemical pesticides and insecticides in monoculture farming can lead to the killing of harmless insects, pollution from persistent chemicals accumulating in food chains, and the development of pesticide resistance in target pests.
Explain how the use of chemical fertilizers can increase food supply.
Chemical fertilizers increase the amount of nutrients in the soil, allowing plants to grow larger and produce higher yields.
Describe how agricultural machinery has replaced human labor and improved efficiency in food production.
Agricultural machinery has allowed farmers to cultivate much larger areas of land, increasing the overall food supply.
Explain how the use of insecticides and herbicides can contribute to increased food supply.
Insecticides kill unwanted insects that damage crops, while herbicides eliminate competing weed species, reducing food losses and increasing yields.
Discuss how selective breeding of animals and crops can improve food production.
Selective breeding involves choosing parent organisms with desirable traits, like high yield, to produce offspring with those beneficial characteristics, leading to more reliable and abundant food supply.
How can intensive livestock farming contribute to increasing food supply?
Intensive livestock farming uses techniques like confined animal feeding operations to maximize the number of animals raised in a given space, leading to greater meat and dairy production.
Explain how the combination of modern agricultural technologies, such as machinery, chemicals, and selective breeding, has contributed to the global increase in food supply.
The use of agricultural machinery, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and selective breeding of high-yielding crops and livestock has collectively allowed for more intensive and efficient food production, leading to a substantial increase in the global food supply.
Test your knowledge on modern agricultural processes including the cultivation of large areas of land for crop plants and intensive livestock farming in developed countries. Explore topics related to efficient agricultural practices and livestock management.
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