Chapter 12 Reading Guide

Instructions

Chapter 12 Food Production and the Environment

12-1 What Is Food Security and Why Is It Difficult to Attain?

Define food security and food insecurity.

What is the root cause of food insecurity?

Distinguish between chronic undernutrition (hunger) and chronic malnutrition and describe their harmful effects.

What is a famine?

Describe the effects of diet deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine.

What is overnutrition and what are its harmful effects?

12-2 How Is Food Produced?

What three systems supply most of the world’s food?

Define and distinguish among industrialized agriculture (high-input agriculture), plantation agriculture, traditional subsistence agriculture, and traditional intensive agriculture.

Define polyculture and summarize its benefits.

Define organic agriculture and compare its main components with those of conventional industrialized agriculture.

What is a green revolution?

Distinguish between crossbreeding through artificial selection and genetic engineering.

Describe the second green revolution based on genetic engineering.

Describe the growth of industrialized meat production. What are feedlots and CAFOs?

Aquaculture, the fastest-growing type of food production, is sometimes called the .

12-3 What Environmental Problems Arise from Industrialized Food Production?

List two major benefits of high-yield modern agriculture.

What is topsoil and why is it one of our most important resources?

What is desertification and what are its harmful environmental effects?

What are soil salinization and waterlogging and describe their harmful environmental effects.

What is the biggest problem resulting from excessive use of water for irrigation in agriculture?

Summarize industrialized agriculture’s contribution to projected climate change.

Explain how industrialized food production systems have caused loss of biodiversity.

List the advantages and disadvantages of using genetic engineering in food production.

Compare the benefits and harmful effects of industrialized meat production.

12-4 How Can We Protect Crops from Pest More Sustainably?

Define and give two examples of a pesticide.

Summarize the advantages and disadvantages of using synthetic pesticides.

List alternatives to conventional pesticides.

Define integrated pest management (IPM) and list its advantages.

12-5 How Can We Improve Food Security?

Explain 2 approaches used by governments to influence food production.

What are other ways in which organizations are improving food security?

Explain 3 benefits of buying locally grown food.

How can urban farming help to increase food security?

12-6 How Can We Produce Food More Sustainably?

What is soil conservation?

Distinguish among organic fertilizer, synthetic inorganic fertilizer, animal manure, green manure, and compost.

How does crop rotation help to restore topsoil fertility?

Describe 2 ways to make meat production and consumption more sustainable.

Summarize 3 important aspects of making a shift to more sustainable food production.

Define food security and food insecurity.

What is the root cause of food insecurity?

Distinguish between chronic undernutrition (hunger) and chronic malnutrition and describe their harmful effects.

What is a famine?

Describe the effects of diet deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine.

What is overnutrition and what are its harmful effects?

What three systems supply most of the world’s food?

Define and distinguish among industrialized agriculture (high-input agriculture), plantation agriculture, traditional subsistence agriculture, and traditional intensive agriculture.

Define polyculture and summarize its benefits.

Define organic agriculture and compare its main components with those of conventional industrialized agriculture.

What is a green revolution?

Distinguish between crossbreeding through artificial selection and genetic engineering.

Describe the second green revolution based on genetic engineering.

Describe the growth of industrialized meat production. What are feedlots and CAFOs?

Aquaculture, the fastest-growing type of food production, is sometimes called the __________ __________.

List two major benefits of high-yield modern agriculture.

What is topsoil and why is it one of our most important resources?

What is desertification and what are its harmful environmental effects?

What are soil salinization and waterlogging and describe their harmful environmental effects.

What is the biggest problem resulting from excessive use of water for irrigation in agriculture?

Summarize industrialized agriculture’s contribution to projected climate change.

Explain how industrialized food production systems have caused loss of biodiversity.

List the advantages and disadvantages of using genetic engineering in food production.

Compare the benefits and harmful effects of industrialized meat production.

Define and give two examples of a pesticide.

Summarize the advantages and disadvantages of using synthetic pesticides.

List alternatives to conventional pesticides.

Define integrated pest management (IPM) and list its advantages.

Explain 2 approaches used by governments to influence food production.

What are other ways in which organizations are improving food security?

Explain 3 benefits of buying locally grown food.

How can urban farming help to increase food security?

What is soil conservation?

Distinguish among organic fertilizer, synthetic inorganic fertilizer, animal manure, green manure, and compost.

How does crop rotation help to restore topsoil fertility?

Describe 2 ways to make meat production and consumption more sustainable.

Summarize 3 important aspects of making a shift to more sustainable food production.

Aquaculture, the fastest-growing type of food production, is sometimes called the .