What you’ll learn20 learning objectivesChoose one objective for a focused lesson, or study the complete topic.5.2.1Land as finite resource• 70% ice-free land for agriculture and forestry• Human population increasing, requires feedingSyllabus objective5.2.2Marginalized groups vulnerability• Needs not accounted for in land-use decisions• Indigenous peoples, low socio-economic groupsSyllabus objective5.2.3Food production and distribution• World agriculture produces enough for 8 billion• Not equitably distributed, ~1/3 wastedSyllabus objective5.2.4Agricultural system variation• Due to different soils and climatesSyllabus objective5.2.5Agricultural system classification• Outputs: arable, pastoral, mixed, monoculture, diverse• Reasons: commercial, subsistence, sedentary, nomadic• Inputs: intensive/extensive, irrigated/rain-fed, organic/inorganicSyllabus objective5.2.6Traditional techniques• Nomadic pastoralism, slash-and-burn agriculture• Sustained low-density populations• Less sustainable with modernization and higher densitySyllabus objective5.2.7Green Revolution (1950s-1960s)• High-yielding crops, improved irrigation, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides• Increased food security but criticized for consequences• Fossil-fuel dependentSyllabus objective5.2.8Synthetic fertilizers• Needed in intensive systems for productivity• At expense of sustainabilitySyllabus objective5.2.9Soil conservation techniques• A variety of techniques can be used to conserve soil, with widespread environmental, economic and sociocultural benefits• Soil conservation techniques are very varied and can be classified in a number of ways• Conservation from erosion—water and wind a• Water—terracing, contour ploughing, bunding, drainage systems, use of cover crops bSyllabus objective5.2.10Diet trophic level and sustainability• Humans are omnivorous, and diets include fungi, plants, meat and fish• Diets lower in trophic levels are more sustainable• The yield of food per unit of land area is greater in quantity and lower in cost with crops rather than livestock• Consider: to what extent plant-based diets could make agriculture more sustainableSyllabus objective5.2.11Sustainable food supply strategies• Current global strategies to achieve sustainable food supply include reducing demand and food waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food production• Examples include plant-based meat substitutes, reducing nitrogen loss to the atmosphere, low methane rice, reducing methane release by ruminants, extended shelf life for foodSyllabus objective5.2.12Food security• Food security is the physical and economic availability of food, allowing all individuals to get the balanced diet they need for an active and healthy life• Consider: the current extent of food security within differing regions of the worldSyllabus objective5.2.13(HL)—Local agricultural choices• Contrasting agricultural choices will often be the result of differences in the local soils and climate• Consider: one pair of contrasting agricultural choices from one biome• Examples: cereal vs. ranching in prairie mollisols; soya beans vs. cattle ranching in tropical forest oxisolsSyllabus objective5.2.14(HL)—Alternative farming approaches• Soil regeneration, rewilding, permaculture• Non-commercial cropping, zero tillageSyllabus objective5.2.15(HL)—Regenerative farming and permaculture• Mixed farming techniques• Improve and diversify productivitySyllabus objective5.2.16(HL)—Technological improvements• High-tech greenhouses, vertical farming• Supply food to urban areas• Not always sustainable (fossil fuel dependent)Syllabus objective5.2.17(HL)—Diet sustainability variations• Supply chain efficiency, food miles• Farming type and techniques, diet changes• Example: planetary health diet (PHD)Syllabus objective5.2.18(HL)—Harvesting wild species• Traditional methods may be more sustainable• Examples: Brazil nuts, truffles, bamboo, honeySyllabus objective5.2.19(HL)—Traditional vs. global food needs• Evaluate sustainability claims• Must produce enough for global populationSyllabus objective5.2.20(HL)—Food distribution and quality• Uneven distribution → malnutrition• Undernourishment and overnourishment• Famine from distribution problems and crop failureSyllabus objective
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