BSC-1005 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Genetically Modified Food, Industrial Revolution, Land Degradation
20 Sep 2016
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Population growth began to speed up in the 17th century with the industrial revolution. The estimate is that the world population will reach 9 billion in 2050. As the population grows, agriculture production must grow, too. Two inventions made agriculture much more productive: The plow: earliest evidence shown in 1200 bce by egyptians showed oxen pulling plows. Irrigation: introduced around 3000 bce, allows crops to be watered regularly on a regulated schedule. When the same piece of land is farmed year after year, the nutrients in the soil are used up, causing plants to grow poorly. Farmers found two ways to deal with it: Adding manure to the soil restores nutrients. Crop rotation allows the soil to recover. Crop rotation allowed land to take a rest in between years of planting it to allow it to better its soil for the next year when farmers would plant crops again.
