Untitled Quiz

Food Supply Fundamentals

• Food is a basic human requirement.
• Distribution issues arise due to insufficient food production.
• Surplus food does not guarantee access; hunger persists.

Agricultural Systems

• Environmental, technological, political, and economic factors influence food production.
• Polyculture: Involves raising a variety of crops for sustainability.
• Monoculture: Focuses on specializing in a singular crop to maximize efficiency.

Types of Agriculture

• Subsistence Agriculture: Grows food primarily for self and family, relies on human labor, low technology, and operates on smaller farms.
• Commercial Agriculture: Produces food for sale utilizing capital investments, larger farms, and provides products to agribusiness with fewer family-owned farms.

Global Agricultural Trade

• Thailand: Leading exporter; Philippines: Leading importer of rice.
• United States ranks as the fifth largest rice exporter.
• U.S. is the primary exporter and Brazil the importer for wheat.
• U.S. also leads in maize export, with Japan as a primary importer.

Coffee Industry

• Coffee ranks second among global commodities after oil.
• Most coffee growers earn only $.04 per cup sold.

Agricultural Productivity Factors

• Determinants include climate, technology, capital investment, use of fertilizers, tractors, quality seeds, irrigation, and pesticides.

Livestock Facts

• Livestock domesticated alongside crops; current global population totals 24 billion.
• Grain is often indirectly consumed by humans through livestock products like milk, eggs, and meat.

Grain Transformation Efficiency

• Chickens are the most efficient grain transform, requiring 2-4 lbs of grain for 1 lb of meat.
• Pigs require 7 lbs of grain per 1 lb of meat and cows 15 lbs for the same.

Developing Nations

• Brazil, Russia, India, and China identified as borderline developed/developing countries.

Environmental Concerns

• Modern animal production leads to pasture destruction, methane emissions, and "factory farming" issues like cesspools and disease spread.

Aquaculture Regulations

• International law manages fish migration across borders, permitting capture within 200 meters of shorelines.

Aquaculture Insights

• Involves herding and domesticating aquatic animals, split between saltwater and freshwater.

Nutritional Challenges

• Malnourished: A state of imbalance in nutrient intake.
• Undernourished: Insufficient nutrient levels hinder growth and immune response.
• Starvation: Leads to organ failure and potentially death due to extreme nutrient deprivation.

Food Security and Crisis

• Food Security: Continuous access to safe, nutritious food for health.
• Famine: Severe food shortages leading to starvation, often caused by economic and political failures.
• Access Problems: Contradictions where rich nations have hungry populations and poor nations are well-fed.

Future Food Supply Solutions

• Advancements in irrigation, utilizing halophytes, enhancing crop diversity, and employing biotechnologies like gene splicing to address climate and food security challenges.

Halophytes

• Special plants that thrive in saltwater ecosystems, presenting an opportunity for growth in adverse conditions.