ENVIRON 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Fertilizer, Organic Farming, Biological Pest Control

• School: U of M
• Department: Environment
• Course: ENVIRON 201
• Professor: John Benedict

Document Summary

Some of the advancements: higher yields, food becomes cheaper, higher yields lessen starvation. India becomes a global exports of grain: advancement of fertilizers, phosphorus, nitrogen, haber-bosch process, creating a lot of industrial machines, movement from developed to developing nations, drawbacks, diminishing profits for farmers. Increased use comes with health risks: exposures to toxic chemicals found in pesticides, direct worker exposure residues on foods. Increased energy input: wealthy, big farms profit but small farmers driven into the city. Increase in food consumption over time: more advancement of food, more meat and sugar, meat and sugar consumption on rise. How is gmo same/different than artificial selection: different, bookmark added at 27:50 in audio 1, artifi(cid:272)ial sele(cid:272)tio(cid:374) does(cid:374)"t al(cid:449)ays (cid:272)reate (cid:374)e(cid:449), fa(cid:448)ora(cid:271)le traits; gmos are (cid:448)ery spe(cid:272)ifi(cid:272) i(cid:374) reproducing favorable trait. Current gmo food crops: much more attractive product. Concerns of genetic "arms race: contamination of non-modified or native/wild species, evolution by pests to become resistant "super bugs"