5.11 Challenges of Contemporary Agriculture

• What does contemporary agriculture refer to?

  Modern agricultural practices
• What type of technology is used in contemporary agriculture?

  Advanced machinery, biotechnology
• What are major challenges faced by contemporary agriculture?

  Environmental impact, economic pressures, food security
• Modern farming practices contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
• What are two major issues arising from intensive contemporary agriculture?

  Diversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions
• Tilling and fertilizer use contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

  True
• Powerful agricultural corporations often lobby governments for policies that benefit their interests
• One challenge faced by traditional agriculture is limited access to resources
• Biodiversity loss in agriculture is often caused by monoculture farming and the use of pesticides
• What are the social and economic challenges impacting farmers globally?

  Low wages, volatile prices, limited market access
• What often exacerbates the challenges faced by smaller, independent farms?

  Large corporations and competitive pricing
• What is one impact of government policies that favor large-scale industrial farms?

  Reduced competition
• How do climate change policies, like carbon pricing, impact farmers?

  Increase farming costs
• Organic farming uses natural, biodegradable inputs instead of synthetic fertilizers to improve soil health
• What is the purpose of fair trade and ethical certification programs?

  Ensure fair wages and working conditions
• Traditional agriculture operates on a small scale compared to contemporary agriculture.
• Contemporary agriculture is oriented towards subsistence and local markets.

  False
• What causes soil degradation in contemporary agriculture?

  Overuse of fertilizers and pesticides
• What are major social and economic challenges in agriculture?

  Farm labor, commodity prices, market access
• What is one consequence of monoculture farming in agriculture?

  Biodiversity loss
• What is one impact of volatile commodity prices on farmers?

  Financial instability
• Contemporary agriculture uses advanced technology and synthetic inputs.


  True
• What is one environmental consequence of using synthetic fertilizers in agriculture?

  Soil degradation
• What farming practice was more sustainable in traditional agriculture compared to contemporary methods?

  Diverse crop-livestock systems
• Volatile commodity prices cause financial instability for farmers.


  True
• Match the political and policy-related challenges in agriculture with their impacts:

  Government Policies ↔️ Disadvantages small farmers

  Lobbying Influence ↔️ Skews political process

  Lack of Support ↔️ Hinders innovation
• Limited government investment in research and infrastructure hinders the growth of small-scale farmers
• Match the sustainable agriculture strategies with their descriptions:

  Organic farming ↔️ Uses biodegradable inputs

  Precision agriculture ↔️ Optimizes inputs with technology

  Crop diversification ↔️ Improves soil quality

  Water conservation ↔️ Reduces water usage
• Growing monocultures improves soil quality and resilience.

  False
• Contemporary agriculture contrasts with traditional agriculture.


  True
• Match the input type with its corresponding agricultural system:

  Natural, organic ↔️ Traditional agriculture

  Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides ↔️ Contemporary agriculture
• Order the environmental challenges faced by contemporary agriculture from most immediate to long-term:

  1️⃣ Water scarcity

  2️⃣ Soil degradation

  3️⃣ Biodiversity loss

  4️⃣ Greenhouse gas emissions
• Match the agricultural system with its sustainability level:

  Traditional agriculture ↔️ More sustainable

  Contemporary agriculture ↔️ Less sustainable
• Soil degradation is caused by the overuse of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
• Low wages and poor working conditions are key issues in agricultural labor
• What is one policy reform that could support small-scale farming?

  Strengthening antitrust regulations
• The shift to contemporary agriculture has increased productivity but also created new challenges.


  True
• Livestock production is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

  True
• Low wages and poor working conditions for agricultural workers lead to a loss of agricultural workers
• Lobbying by agricultural corporations can undermine fair competition.


  True