Agricultural Revolutions
LT: I can describe the evolution of agriculture
Origin of Agriculture (10.1)
What is Agriculture?
- Deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through
cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain
sustenance or economic gain.
Crop:
Any plant cultivated by people.
Origins of Agriculture (cont)
Hunters and Gatherers:
-
Small groups
Male–female division of labor
Daily food gathering
Nomadic/mobile
Agricultural Revolutions
With a Partner: Brainstorm…
How would you define a revolution?
Revolution= radical or sudden change
- Technology and Climate plays a major role in the
agricultural revolutions.
1st Agricultural Revolution
Shift from hunting & gathering to farming
10,000 BC - 2,000 BC
- 1st domestication of plants and animals
- Sowing of seeds (harvesting seeds to plant vs. natural
sowing)
- Rise of permanent settlements (led to creation of cities,
government organizations, and rise of industry)
- Started in the Middle East (the Fertile Crescent) but diffused
to many other parts of the world
2nd Agricultural Revolution
New innovations in technology
Estimated from 1815- 1880 (Industrial Revolution)
-
New inventions of “time saving” devices (ex: plow)
-
Improved speed of food production (more food = BIG
population growth)
-
Railroad (transport crops further to reach consumers)
-
New fertilizer and artificial feed is introduced.
- Planting in rows (helps to manage larger fields)
Crop
Hearths
Animal
Hearths:
Video Clip:
Crash
Course
Third Agricultural
Revolution
- I will be able to evaluate how the Third Agricultural Revolution (the
Green Revolution) is affecting food systems, animals, and the choices we
have about the food we eat.
- I can describe the contributions of Norman Borlaug and how he
impacted the development of the Green Revolution.
Third Agricultural Revolution
GREEN Revolution
● Land is used more productively: “how can we grow more product on the same
amount of land?”
o
Example: combined genes from tall skinny rice & short fat rice to create tall, fat rice
(more product + same amount of space = more money + less hunger)
● Aimed at fighting world hunger by increasing agricultural productivity
● An underlying aim of this revolution was for agribusinesses to make more MONEY
2012
Revenues that are
produced primarily
for human
consumption
(not for animal
feed)
What states have the
largest amount of crops for
human consumption?
What states have the
largest amount of crops for
animal consumption?
Why do you think there is a
division in crop
production?
- What types of crops
are grown?
Norman Borlaug
- Known as “The father of the Green
Revolution”
- Nobel Peace Prize Winner
- University of Minnesota Graduate
- Created varieties of high yield, disease
resistant wheat crops
- Result: boost the production of wheat
around the world.
Results of the Third Agricultural Revolution
1. The use of biotechnology to create genetically modified organisms
(GMOs).
Common genetic modifications include: adding antibacterial genes to plants,
introducing
genes that make the organism bigger or hardier, making
new foods by adding genes from existing foods, and adding animals genes
to plants and vice versa.
Pros
Cons
- More food production
- Use of fewer pesticides (better for
environment)
- Possible addition of vitamins and
minerals
- Unknown possible long term effects
- Use of antibiotics in food (human
resistance)
- Possible allergic reactions
- GMOs do not have to be labeled
There are MANY pros & cons to GMOs!
Results of the Third Agricultural Revolution (continued)
2. Agribusiness- Commercial agriculture characterized by the
integration of different steps in the food processing industry.
- Usually through ownership of large corporations
- Found in developed countries.
- Enterprises such as tractor manufacturing, fertilizer production, and
seed distribution.
Farmers are less
than 2% of the
U.S. labor force,
while 20% work
in food
production.
Although most farms are owned by
families, MANY other aspects of
agribusiness are controlled by large
corporations.
What do we eat?
Your Task: Take out your food journal and make a list of
the top 5 (recurring) items of food that you consumed in the
past six days.
Questions to Consider:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What ingredients are in your food?
Are they “real” or “processed”?
What effects does your diet have on your body and health?
What effect does what we choose to consume have on the environment?
“The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” Truth about Food
What’s the Difference: Real vs. Processed Food
Real (whole) Food
Processed Food
- 100% natural (ex: from the ground)
- Higher nutritional value (vitamins &
minerals)
- Calories that give your body energy
- Food in the purest state (unaltered)
- Contains additives (alt. taste & color)
- Contains artificial preservatives (to
maintain shelf life)
- Higher amounts of fat and sodium
- Made in a plant/ factory
- Calories with little nutritional value
Research shows that artificial
flavors & colors/ additives may
cause:
- ADD/ ADHD
- Headaches/ rashes
- Food allergies
- Many More!
The
Meatrix
How did we shift
from small family
farms to large
corporate farms?
The
Meatrix II
How have dairy
farms changed
with the growth of
large corporate
farms?
How does this affect
the price of Dairy
products?
What can we do
stop it?
….But what can we do?
●
●
●
●
●
●
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Support local family owned farms
Shop at local farmers markets (Spring/ Summer/ Fall)
Plant a garden
Purchase “organic”, “free-range” or “Grass fed” meat.
Look for Hormone-free milk products
Eat more fresh produce and fruit- whole foods
Be knowledgeable: Be aware of where your food comes from
& research the topic!
Family farmers are
being forced out of
business at an alarming
rate, and hundreds of
small farmers sell their
land every week.
Organic food regulated by the USDA, and organic
farmers must follow specific guidelines in order to label
their foods “organic”.
- For example, animals cannot be given antibiotics or
hormones, chemical pesticides cannot be used, and
meat cannot be irradiated.