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Land Management

Land Management. Competing uses for land :. Forests ( 30% and decreasing) Agriculture ( 40% and increasing) Urbanization ( 5% and increasing). Forest Uses. Wood to build structures Wood for heat energy. Agriculture Uses.

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Land Management

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  1. Land Management

  2. Competing uses for land: • Forests (30% and decreasing) • Agriculture (40% and increasing) • Urbanization (5% and increasing)

  3. Forest Uses • Wood to build structures • Wood for heat energy

  4. Agriculture Uses Definition - the growing of crops & the tending of livestock for subsistence, sale, or exchange

  5. Three Main Types of Agriculture 1. Subsistence • Industrialized 3. Sustainable

  6. Subsistence Agriculture • Grow food to feed own family: • Human Labor • Slash and Burn • Field Rest Periods • Variety of Crops • Fertilizer - Animal Manure • No Pesticides

  7. Industrialized Agriculture One type of crop or animal raised for large consumption • uses large amounts of : a) fossil fuel energy b) water

  8. Mechanization – Large Machinery • causes land degradation through soil compaction • exacerbates soil erosion • causes decline in soil fertility • erosion damage causes decreased water quality

  9. Monocropping: - also called monoculture • cultivation of a single crop, usually on a large area of land • simplifies ecosystems, reducing biodiversity • encourages the build up of pests thus increasing the use of pesticides • depletes the soil of nutrients

  10. Use of Pesticides Pesticide - any chemical designed to kill or inhibit the growth of an organism that people consider undesirable - fast-breeding insect species undergo natural selection and develop genetic resistance to chemical pesticides

  11. Effects of Pesticide Use - harmful to the environment • Pesticides linked to cancers and low sperm count • persistent pesticides adhere to sediment and become bioaccumulated and biomagnified

  12. Use of Fertilizers Fertilizers - Substances that add plant nutrients to soil and improves its ability to grow crops - Leads to eutrophication 2 Main Types of Fertilizers: - Organic Fertilizer - Commercial Inorganic Fertilizer

  13. Genetic Engineering • Crops that have been genetically modified to add a specific trait. • For Example • A gene from a bacteria was inserted into corn DNA to make it resistant to a specific pest. • A gene for drought tolerance was taken from one plant and inserted into another plant that did not grow well in drought conditions. • Corn and soybean crops have been genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup • Long term effects are not known

  14. Irrigation • The application of water to crops • Types • Natural/Rainfall • Flood irrigation • Overhead/sprinkler • Drip irrigation (most efficient - 90%) -Flood irrigation is wasteful and causes salinization.

  15. Salinization Due to Irrigation Salinization: - accumulation of salts in soil that can eventually make the soil unable to support plant growth - lowers crop growth and yields - kills crop plants & ruins the land

  16. Sustainable Agriculture (Organic) • Crops grown in harmony with the environment • Health of humans and livestock important • Environment important • Workers important • e.g. Organic agriculture

  17. Sustainable Agriculture Cont’d • Includes the use of: • -Soil conservation • Use of alternatives to pesticides • Organic Fertilizers

  18. Soil Conservation Methodscont’d • Conservation Tillage - crop cultivation with little or no soil disturbance ▪ Minimum Tillage ▪ No-till Farming

  19. Soil Conservation Methodscont’d 2. Contour Farming, Terracing & Strip Cropping - used mainly on sloping land which is more prone to erosion ▪ Contour Farming - used on gently sloping land

  20. Soil Conservation Methodscont’d ▪ Terracing - used on steeper slopes

  21. Soil Conservation Methodscont’d 3. Windbreaks ▪ Windbreaks (Shelterbelts) - row of trees planted to block wind flow

  22. Alternatives to Pesticides 1. Natural Enemies (Biological Control) - predators, parasites & bacteria can be encouraged or imported to regulate pest populations 2. Birth Control (Reproductive Controls) - males are lab-raised and sterilized, then released into population.

  23. Alternatives to Pesticidescont’d 3. Insect Sex Attractants (Pheromones) - when a female is ready to mate she releases a pheromone (chemical sex attractant). Males come and are trapped. 4. Insect Hormones - hormones: chemicals produced by an organism to control its growth & development

  24. Alternatives to Pesticidescont’d 5. Zapping Foods With Radiation - gamma irradiation of foods is used to kill insects & prevent them from reproducing

  25. Organic Fertilizer Organic Fertilizer - organic materials, such as animal manure, applied as a source of plant nutrients 3 Basic Types of Organic Fertilizer - Animal Manure - Green Manure - Compost

  26. Organic Fertilizercont’d Animal Manure - dung and urine of farm animals - improves soil structure - stimulates beneficial bacteria and fungi Green Manure - freshly-cut or still-growing vegetation that is ploughed into the soil

  27. Organic Fertilizercont’d Compost - partially decomposed organic plant and animal matter - made up of animal manure, topsoil, kitchen scraps - rich, natural fertilizer

  28. Review • What is most of our land used for? • Our forests are used for what two purposes? • What is another term for sustainable agriculture? • If you lived on steep slopes what type of contour farming would work the best to prevent erosion? • What is it called when the DNA of plants has been altered to change a trait of that plant?

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