Agriculture and Food Production Flashcards
6 cards from real Environmental Science practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Agriculture and Food Production flashcards as text
The Green Revolution of the mid-20th century primarily involved:
Answer: Development of high-yielding crop varieties, increased irrigation, and synthetic fertilizer use that dramatically raised food production
The Green Revolution (1940s-1970s) introduced high-yield varieties of wheat and rice, expanded irrigation, and dramatically increased fertilizer and pesticide use, averting famine in much of Asia and Latin America.
Monoculture farming poses environmental risks primarily because:
Answer: Genetic uniformity increases vulnerability to pests, diseases, and climate variability
A single genetically uniform crop planted over large areas is highly vulnerable to a single pathogen or pest that overcomes its defenses, risking crop failures.
Contour plowing reduces soil erosion by:
Answer: Plowing across (perpendicular to) the slope so furrows act as barriers that slow water flow
Contour plowing runs furrows horizontally across a slope, creating ridges that intercept rainwater, reduce runoff velocity, and hold soil in place.
The primary cause of hypoxic dead zones in coastal marine ecosystems is:
Answer: Nutrient runoff (nitrogen and phosphorus) from agriculture that causes algal blooms and oxygen depletion
Excess nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer runoff stimulate algal blooms; when algae die and decompose, bacteria consume oxygen, creating hypoxic zones where fish and invertebrates cannot survive.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is defined as an approach that:
Answer: Combines biological, cultural, physical, and chemical controls to manage pests with minimal environmental impact
IPM uses monitoring and economic thresholds to determine when intervention is needed, then applies the least-harmful effective control before escalating to synthetic pesticides.
Which farming practice best describes no-till agriculture and its primary environmental benefit?
Answer: Seeding crops directly into undisturbed soil, preserving soil structure and reducing erosion
No-till (conservation tillage) leaves crop residues on the surface and disturbs the soil as little as possible during planting, dramatically reducing erosion and retaining soil moisture and carbon.