L7-8

• An example of the augmentation of the carrying capacity of our environment by human interventions and innovation is on agriculture and we tapped into this specific body of science and technology to provide and innovate the battle to expand our food systems and food supply, what is this Science? Biotechnology
• Since the human population is projected to continuously grow in the next decades, the carrying capacity of the Earth shall be assessed in terms of the demand of humans from nature and what we can still renew and innovate for sustenance, what is this measure of how long can the earth sustain our population? ecological footprint
• It is what we use in Environmental Science and Ecology to measure the ability of an environment or ecosystem to provide the needs and demands of the organism inhabiting that area continuously and sustainably. ecological equilibrium
• In developing countries food insecurity and hunger is chronically prevalent and a serious problem and caused by various socio-political factors. How many percent of the population of people suffering in chronic hunger are in the developing countries? 95%
• A stable equilibrium is met when the population density aligns with what? carrying capacity
• Food security


  The ability to obtain sufficient, healthy food on a day-to-day basis
• In 1960, nearly 60 percent of people in developing countries were chronically undernourished, and the world's population was increasing by more than 2 percent every year
• An estimated 854 million people almost one in every eight people on earth-suffer chronic hunger days or weekss starvation
• About 95 percent of hungry people are in developing countries. Hunger is especially serious in sub-Saharan Africa, a region plagued by political instability
• Even in wealthy countries such as the United States, millions lack a sufficient, healthy diet. Poverty, job losses, lack of social services, and other factors lead to persistent hunger-and even more to persistent poor diets- despite the fact that we have more, cheaper food (in terms
• Sustainable farming


  Aims to meet our food needs while protecting the environment for future generations
• Sustainable farming practices


  1. Crop rotation

  2. Soil conservation techniques

  3. Integrated pest management
• Sustainable farming


  • Minimizes environmental impact
  • Maintains soil health and biodiversity
• Sustainable farming


  • Reduces dependence on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics in animal husbandry
  • Utilizes natural methods of pest control
  • Focuses on building healthy soil ecosystems
• Types of soil degradation

  • Nutrient depletion
  • Poor growth in crops
• Degraded soil


  Soil that has deep gullies, severe nutrient depletion, or poor crop growth, or that restoration is difficult and expensive
• Water and wind erosion provide the motive force for the vast majority of all soil degradation worldwide
• Types of chemical soil degradation

  • Nutrient depletion
  • Salt accumulation
  • Acidification
  • Pollution
• Types of physical soil degradation

  • Compaction by heavy machinery or trampling by cattle
  • Water accumulation from excess irrigation and poor drainage
  • Laterization (solidification of iron and aluminum-rich tropical soil when exposed to sun and rain)
• Types of soil erosion

  • Rill
  • Gully
  • Water
  • Wind
  • Stream
• Erosion is an important natural process, resulting in the redistribution of the products of geologic weathering, and it is part of both soil formation and soil loss
• Erosion is a disaster only when it occurs in the wrong place at the wrong time
• Erosion is a creeping disaster that occurs in small increments. A thin layer of topsoil washes off of fields year after year until, eventually, nothing is left but poor-quality subsoil
• Saline and fertilizer runoff can contaminate water bodies
• GMOs


  Organisms that have had their genetic makeup altered in a way that does not occur naturally. Scientists introduce genes from other organisms (plants, bacteria) to give the modified organism new characteristics
• GMOs


  • Can potentially increase yields due to pest resistance and improved growing conditions
  • Can contribute to global food security
  • Can be biofortified with increased vitamins or minerals to improve dietary intake in populations facing deficiencies
• Research continues on developing GMOs with improved traits and addressing potential risks
• While GMOs hold promise for increased food production, improved nutrition, and reduced environmental impact, concerns regarding long-term effects and ethical considerations need to be addressed
• Green Revolution


  A period of significant agricultural advancements that began in the mid-20th century and spread globally until the late 1980s, aimed at increasing food production in developing countries to address hunger and malnutrition
• Green Revolution


  • Wheat and rice bred to produce significantly higher yields compared to traditional varieties
  • Emphasized the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation to create optimal growing conditions for HYVs
• The Green Revolution was not sustainable
• The Green Revolution led to intensive/commercial farming
• The Green Revolution was able to elevate hunger in many regions by increasing food production and supply
• Any substance released through human impacts into the atmosphere, at a concentration sufficient to cause harm to humans, other animals, vegetation or to other materials is an air pollutant
• Natural sources of air pollution

  • Volcanoes
  • Forest fires
  • Dust storms
  • Spores
  • Hot springs
• Anthropogenic (human-caused) sources of air pollution

  • Fossil fuel combustion
  • Motor vehicles
  • Power generation
  • Chemical plants
  • Waste landfills
  • Agricultural practices
• Primary pollutants


  Pollutants emitted directly into the air
• Acid rain and climate change are threats caused by air pollution
• Greenhouse effect


  The trapping of heat in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases, causing the average global temperature to rise
• Air pollution plays a big role in climate change