Bodley pp.

103-128; 133-138 CH3

How was Leslie White’s theory describing the relationship between energy and cultural
evolution flawed? (p104)
● before the use of fossil-fuel energy sources, per capita energy use did not increase
significantly—humans remained the basic source of mechanical energy.
○ Complex societies can emerge without or with the minimal use of domestication.
○ The real difference was that domestication of plants and animals supported higher
population densities and larger total populations, and build cultural complexity
Why are high energy societies unsustainable over the long term? (p104-106)
● high-energy cultures must be transformed to low-energy cultures when their depleted
energy stores are burned up.
○ High-energy cultures thus have limited life spans that can easily be predicted as
compared to the five-billion-year life expectancy of low-energy cultures.
○ Or their growth may be halted by the adverse impacts of the waste heat or global
warming produced through energy conversion.
What is ‘peak oil’ and what are its implications for the sustainability of a petroleum-based world
system? (p106-108)
● Peak Oil, would be the point at which half of all the oil that could ever be produced
would have been consumed, and that after that point production would decline because of
the increasing difficulty of oil discovery and extraction.
● Some analysts have argued that the total global supply might actually be 3.5 trillion
barrels, rather than Hubbert’s 1.3 to 2.1
○ 3.5 trillion barrels would be totally consumed within eighty years, so this does not
extend the prospect for a petroleum-based world system very far.
● Even if fossil fuel reserves were to prove virtually inexhaustible, continued use of these
fuels at present rates is not sustainable because fossil fuels are the primary source of
anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and the primary cause of contemporary climate
change.
Historically, what has been the relationship between capitalism and consumption? (p117)
● Historically, capitalist growth has invariably meant increased consumption, but it is
possible to imagine capitalism without growth, development without growth, and
development without capitalism as we know it
● Consumption, rather than production, became a subject of widespread scholarly research
only in the 1980s, when the global economy entered a dramatic new expansion phase
widely attributed to the liberalization of trade under “free market” capitalism and new
computer-based information technologies. this time many anthropologists, began to view
 commodities as cultural objects. symbolic cultural meanings of commodities for
individual consumers and their use in the construction of self-identity argued that
markets, commodities, consumption patterns, and their cultural meanings are mutually
constructed by marketers and consumers this interpretation makes capitalism and the
culture of consumption seem both natural and inevitable, avoiding the crucial issues of
class, social power, and sustainability raised by capitalism.
○ The critical issues are the scale and organization of the commercial exchanges
that support increased consumption and the manner in which the system of
exchanges concentrates social power and reduces sustainability
○ Nor was the consumption culture just a product of the market economy or the use
of money; organized markets and money have existed for millennia, economically
linking villages, towns, and cities in all of the major civilizations.
What segment of the population encourages higher increases in resource consumption? (p122)
● the elite shaped the major economic, social, and ideological subsystems to promote ever-
higher per capita levels of resource consumption that were patently unsustainable.
○ In reality, living standards were extremely inequitably distributed in politically
centralized precapitalist societies, and the benefits of higher consumption levels
produced by the early commercial world spread very slowly.
What are ‘externalities’?(p122)
● The byproducts of the production/consumption process, such as waste, depletion,
pollution, and various indirect social costs or “ externalities do not immediately detract
from growth measured as GDP and may actually increase it.
○ “externalized” costs resembles the piracy and injustice that accompanied the
original creation of the culture of consumption and is clearly counterproductive in
a human sense,
Compare and contrast the Genuine Progress Indicator with Gross National Product (GDP).
(p125)
● The GPI offers a separate accounting of consumption that directly supports human well-
being, including things that benefit households, communities, society, and the natural
environment, listing these things apart from other things that benefit only the “economy.”
○ GPIs also include things that enhance human well-being but are ignored by GDP,
such as unpaid domestic labor, volunteer work, services provided by domestic
consumer goods, and community infrastructure.
○ GPIs are adjusted downward for the costs of crime, pollution, and environmental
degradation, and for the benefit-concentrating effects of inequality that shift costs
to the majority.
 ○ The PQLI demonstrated that there is no absolute relationship between quality of
life and GNP
According to Barnett, Morse, and Simon how does the economics of resource depletion resolve
itself? (p133)
● That resource scarcity would ultimately halt economic growth, leading to a stationary
economy. Such an outcome, according to Barnett and Morse, would be possible only in a
world without technological progress and is therefore quite unrealistic.
○ depletion of resources will make way for economic alternatives of equal or even
superior quality and at reduced cost.
○ Attempting to conserve resources in the present might actually reduce the
“heritage” of future generations because it could preclude future technological
advances.
○ Harold Barnett and Chandler Morse in their influential study Scarcity and
Growth: The Economics of Natural Resource Availability
○ Economist Julian Simon, urging that the market price of resources should be the
sole measure of their status.
○ trends in prices suggested that “future generations will be faced by no greater
economic scarcity than we are, but instead will have just as large or larger
supplies of resources to tap, despite our present use of them.”
Can economic growth be sustained indefinitely? (p134)
While development can become sustainable, growth, but definition can not be sustained
indefinitely.

When Bodley states that overconsumption is a not a human trait, it is culturally constructed, what
does he mean? (p138)
● It is culturally determined: high rates of consumption, or a lack of cultural limits on
consumption, relate to social stratification and inequality within a culture
○ since 1400 a relatively few business managers and investors have made the
crucial decisions that have created and maintained the culture of consumption.

Bodley pp. 179-185; 187-198; 201-208 CH5

1. In what sense is the industrial food system extremely inefficient relative to less complex
food systems? (p180)
The extent to which fossil fuel factories farming have made a negative impact on the
environment with the amount of energy used to create, for example potatoes, to ensure
correct soil conditions, moisture, nutrients, and control of weed, epidemic disease, &
 insect infestation. As opposed to swidden potato farming, where all these functions are
carried out by natural ecosystems, and by the diversity of the garden plantings, which
imitates the natural system.
EX2) cattles are inefficient producers of protein because they are fed large quantities of
factory farmed produced grain.

2. How do statistics focusing on farm labor and crop yield disguise the inefficiencies of the
industrial food system? (p182)
Tractors and farm chemicals turned farms into factories. The demand for farm labor
began to decline (1940-50) “fossil fuel supported works of man have eliminated the
natural species and substituted industrial services for the service of those natural species,
releasing the same basic production of yield” an industrial food system engages many
more sectors of the economy than those directly involved in primary agricultural
production.

3. What percentage of the total energy expended in the American food system supports
primary production? (p191)
Less than 25% went to support primary production on the farm, the other 75% went to
processing, marketing, and domestic uses.

4. What percentage of the total potato crop is shipped to consumers as raw tubers to be
cooked in the household? (p197)
In the U.A. in 2001 only about 30%

5. What strategy, developed in the US, was exported around the world to intensify
agriculture? (p202)

The Green Revolution ; doubling in food production ; involves exporting the fossil fuels -
subsidizing capital intensive factory farm systems of the highly industrialized nations to the rest
of the world. More specifically it means applying genetic engineering to the design of
specialized plants that will respond to the application of large doses of chemical fertilizer,
pesticides, and water with high yields.

WEEK 7 Pollan pp. 32-56

1. Compare and contrast George Naylor’s grandfather’s farm with his current one. (p34,38)
-Grandfather__ First farm in Iowa had some of the richest soil in the world. It made it seem to
believe you can grow anything with this soil. It begins with one family who starts with small
crops and livestock. He was feeding about 129 americas just on his corn and soybean farm. Used
natural seed for corn. Had a lot of diversity on the farm multiple animals fruits vegetables. Had
fences because they had livestock that was outside. Everything was constantly green because of
the crop rotation and diversity of food that was growing. Only 20 bushels of corn per acre. And
they only had horses and animals to farm no machines. He could make a living just off of what
he produced on the farm
Newer farm-- started monoculture of only soybeans and corn. No livestock on the farms or
outdoors only livestock was indoors now in tin farms (factory farms). Much more productive in
terms of quantity of corn and soybeans by using geneitcally modified seeds, monoculutre, and
using tractors/carbon based farming. Each acre produces 180 bushels of corn per acre all the way
up to 200 in good years. Cant make a living off what he produces off the farm.

2. What key factor allows hybrid corn to produce such high yields? (p37)
The genetically modified corn allows the corn plants to be planted much closer to one another
while still being able to survive. This is because they are all genetically the same so they all
require the same amount of resources and dont really compete with one another since they were
evolved in a lab instead of through survival of the fittest. Modern farms also use carbon based
techniques such as tractors and other automobiles which can do much more work with less
people and land.

3. What’s the relationship between munitions and industrial farming? (p41)

Most of the crops in the United states were munition crops but after the war the government had
a surplus of ammonium nitrate. It was used has a chemical fertilizer and along with that came
pesticide protection.

4. Why does Pollan call hybrid corn greedy? (p41)

Because they consume more fertilizer than any other crop.

5. Why was Fritz Haber’s invention a triumph and a tragedy? (p43)

Triumph- allowed them to almost have an unlimited amount of nitrogen, this made it possible for
the amount of people that exist on earth today. It is estimated that every 2 out of 5 people
wouldnt exist if it wernt for being able to harness this previous unaccessable nitrogen. Without
nitrogen life is practically impossible.
Tragedy- worked for the germans and when they ran out of nitrogen to make bombs, they were
able to use a synthetic nitrogen, also was the first one to use chemical warfare. He invented the
main poison gas in the nazi gas chambers.

6. How can US farms be run on industrial principles that don’t conform to biological
constraints? (p45)
Because you no longer need to use cover crops, you can plant year round the same plant
because you are using made man nitrogen, which takes pesticides to use. Humans now learned
how to harness the millions of years on solar energy that has been stored in fossil fuels to our
advantage. Now humans can use thousands of sunlight years daily on the factory farms that are
used today.
7. Why does Pollan argue that it would be better if we could just drink petroleum directly
rather than eat corn? (p46)
Because there is less energy in the bushel of corn then there is in the petroleum used to make it.
The net energy is negative. It literally takes more energy to produce the food than the amount of
energy (kcals) the food is giving back. Therefore it is completely not sustainable and inefficent
and that is even without considering the externalities of using fossil fuel intensive farming which
comes with soil depletion and nutrient runoff which can completely sterilize entire ecosystems.
Nitrogen nutrient runoff causes algal blooms and the nitrogen in the water can connect to
hemoglobin which prevents oxygen getting the brain if it gets directly into the water system. The
excess nitrogen in the water can also evaporate into local clouds and rain back down into water
tables as acid rain.

8. What happens to the excess fertilizer that is applied to the fields of US farms? (p46)
It evaporates into the air and acidifies which leads to global warming. HAAA just read
the answer to the last question……….

9. Why do US farmers continue to over-produce corn even though it lowers the price and
undermines their livelihood? (p48)
Preserve the economics of ag. Programs that were put together during the great
depression to keep food prices stable. This created a floor price to keep farmers around and to
make sure they could support themselves.

10. Why are the free market and agriculture incompatible? (p54)
Because when prices fall for firms, they can pay people off, stop producing as much, slow
production. But when prices fall for farmers they just lose income. If they don't have enough
money to wait til the price stabilizes then they will simply lose their farm and another farmer will
buy it and continue to use it.
Food is an inelastic comoditiy in society. Even if you made food cheaper people will only buy so
much because at a certain point they cant use all of it. Everything based off of finite resources in
our capitalist economy will eventually fail because we live on a finite planet.

11. Who ultimately reaps the biggest reward from current farm policies? (p55)\
If the government controls the corn, then only big companies will reap the reward not the normal
farmer.

Pollan pp. 85-99

1. What happens to most of corn grown in the US? (p85)

Most of the corn is not consumed, if it isn't going through the gut of an animal it is brought to
places where they make it into snacks, cereals, high fructose corn syrup ect. It is not really just
being eaten by humans.

2. How is breakfast cereal the prototypical processed food? (93)

Because the profit from cereals is ridiculous you can make 4 cents into 4 dollars. So it makes
sense that this is the most processed.

3. From a capitalist point of view, how are the farmer’s field and the human organism less
than ideal? (p94)
Farms are bound to have under/over production some years, and have negative effects from
weather and pests.
The profits from a decrease in the price of raw material cant be realized because of the nature of
consumers. No matter how cheap food is people only eat so much- “fixed stomach” or inelastic
demand

4. Why does complicating food make economic sense to the food processors? (p95)
Increasing shelf life will boost profits, also if you buy food such as eggs about .40 cents goes
back to the farmer, if you only buy corn sweetener the farmer will only see .4 cents

Pollan pp. 100-119

1. What is the underlying cause of the obesity epidemic? (p100)

The main problem from the obesity epidemic is the surplus of corn that is grown. This leads to
big business figuring out more effective ways of getting humans to consume more through
different methods.
When corn whiskey became very cheap, it was the first major health crisis of the time.

2. What is high fructose corn syrup and why is it so problematic from a human health point
of view? (p103) What foods contain it?
High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener used to make foods sweeter. It comes from a
bushel of corn however the sugar content is way higher than actual sugar.

3. Why does supersizing cause us to eat more than we normally would? (p105)
Bigger bank for your buck
It would make them feel glutinous to buy two bags even if they wanted more fries for example
It encourages humans to consume more because when presented with larger amounts of food
humans are more likely to consume 30% more than they usually would because of evolutionary
instincts to load up on calories in case of long periods without food.
 4. Why does it make good economic sense for low-income people to eat junk food rather
than unprocessed foods? (p108)
Because junk food is considered to be cheaper and more affordable than unprocessed
food. You get more calories for less money. “Energy dense” foods are more affordable.

5. How do pre-condimented hamburgers and chicken nuggets ‘liberate’ us from the table,
and why is this problematic? (p110)
Because it creates laziness for example you can eat in your car because it has cup holders
and other things to make eating and driving easier.
You could eat food without a fork and knife, It made it more convenient to eat a meal out
then it was to prepare it, and do the dishes after.

6. How do foods like hamburgers and chicken nuggets distance us from the animals they
come from?
Part of the appeal to hamburgers and nuggets is that they are are boneless adaptations allow us to
forget we are eating an animal.
We don’t know where it comes from.

7. Why is eating corn directly, rather than through other foods like fast food, a more
efficient way of obtaining calories? (p118)
Because when you eat the corn you fully absorb the calories when it is feed to cattle, 90 percent
of it they absorb. Law of thermodynamics.Because it is from the kernel not processed or touched

Pollan “Six rules for eating wisely”

1. What percentage of personal income does the average American spend on food?
9.7% of income on food

2. Why is how you eat just as important as what you eat?

The lesson of the "French paradox" is you can eat all kinds of supposedly toxic
substances (triple crème cheese, foie gras) as long as you follow your culture's (i.e.,
mother's) rules: eat moderate portions, don't go for seconds or snacks between
meals,never eat alone. But perhaps most important,eat with pleasure, because eating with
anxiety leads to poor digestion and bingeing

Diamond pp.157-177
Diamond pp.157-177
1. In what sense is the Maya collapse a warning for those living today? (p159)
● That collapse or crashes can also befall the most advanced and creative societies
2. How did the southern Maya deal with the water problem? (p162)
 ● Their cities were built on promontory uplands The explanation is that the Maya excavated
depressions, modified natural depressions, and then plugged up leaks in the karst by
plastering the bottoms of the depressions in order to create cisterns and reservoirs, which
collected rain from large plastered catchment basins and stored it for use in the dry
season.
○ Problems because surface elevation (proximity to groundwater) increases from
north to south and ground consisted of karst (sponge like rock that passes water
easily)
-aka built dikes and created reservoirs around lakes to make the resource more reliable.
3. Why was Maya agriculture less efficient than that of the other complex societies like the
Egyptians? (p164)
● Their corn was lower in protein, also had more of a narrow range of crops
● Didn't have too many edible large domestic
● Mayan corn was less intensive and productive
● Humid climate made it hard to store corn
● No animal powered transport or work
4. Why did erosion of hillsides become such a problem for the Maya? (p169)
● The reason for that erosion of the hillsides is clear: the forests that formerly covered
them and protected their soils were being cut down. Dated pollen samples show that the
pine forests originally covering the upper elevations of the hill slopes were eventually all
cleared.
● Erosion on the hill side leached nutrients which made soil more acidic and less
productive and that acidic soil would erode down into the valleys creating less yields in
the fertile soil
● Deforestation may have caused a man made in drought in valleys
5. How are Maya kings and the CEOs of modern corporations similar? (p177)
● Maya kings sought to outdo each other with more and more impressive temples, covered
with thicker and thicker plaster-reminiscent in turn of the extravagant conspicuous
consumption by modern American CEOs.
Over consumption,

McAnany & Negron pp.142-175

In what way do authors McAnany and Negron suggest Diamond’s interpretation of Maya
collapse is an attempt to retrofit the past onto the present? (p143)
Because they also ignored the social problems and climate problems which ultimately lead
to the fall of the food system.
● Decontextualized the past by developing simple historical narratives based on small
amount of sources
Why must the term high population growth be considered within its historical context?
(p153)
Late classic unit used to be 150 people per square mile and in 1998 it was almost 3,000
● Modern population densities are much higher than Mayan so must consider what is high
for mayan times
What evidence suggests the Maya were responding to and actively managing their
environment to prevent degradation? (p153-4)
They used things like landscape modification, soils, and pollen cores, also used terrance
walls to stop erosion, check dams to funnel water to dry areas.
● Agricultural features of the Late classical (highest production) were conservation to
prevent land degradation and increase soil fertility through terrace walls to control
erosion and dams to funnel water to dry places.
● Massive changes of land use from interior lakes to wetlands
Which Maya cities exhibited a pattern of resilience to drought? (156)
Cities most vulnerable to drought showed the most resilience
● Tikal, calakmul, and caracol of the interior low land (no rivers and seasonal rain)
survived longer.
● In norther Puuc hills (only rainwater in cisterns) show no pattern of drought.
● Even the big large royal cities were not resilient to drought.
Why do archaeologists suggest that the term “Maya collapse” may be a matter of
perspective? (p159-162)
Although there was a transformation from late classical period, aspects of mayan societies
defies collapse. Rulers reinvented themselves to accommodate for changes of
commercialism.
● Although mayan rulers scaled back during post classical period and there was a drawback
of population, society was vibrant- especially in terms of mercantile activity. Cities
became more concentrated around big waterways.
● Pop decreased in southern lowlands but increased in northern yucatan
● Commercial activity more evident in post classical society so priorities shifted and new
opportunities arose
Why do the authors suggest that the transformations that marked the end of Maya divine
rulership do not qualify as “apocalyptic collapse”? (p164) HINT: Do authors suggest Maya
society “collapsed” or changed? Explain
Dying out of divine rule does not qualify as collapse, Mayan society - socially, politically,
and economically- survived into the postclassical era

Study Questions
Anth 353/Sustn 353
Week 9
Orlove pp. 1-44
What message did the Peruvian songs express about life in the altiplano and how villagers
are valued by outsiders? (p8)
That they have been directly or indirectly how inferior they were as peasants and
uneducated boors. That these people were so inferior that even their lovers forgot them.
Describe how Orlove’s fieldwork involved more than just research? (p14)
He had seen their lives and shared it with them, he spoke their language ate simile food,
rode on the back of trucks and not a cab, slept on the floor of peasant houses.
How were the fishermen able to change from the poorest to the wealthiest villagers? (p15)
The introduction of new kinds of boats and gear which have increased the efficiency of
their fishing and also the expansion of roads and markets which allowed them to sell their
catch for high prices.
Describe the uncultivated landscape of the altiplano. (p31)
Slopes of the mountain were covered in ichu the perennial frasses that grow in clumps
kilometers long.
What land is the most hospitable in the whole region around Lake Titicaca? (p39)
The strip of land right on the shores of the lake is the only hospitable section in the
immense barren grass and rock.
In what ways is Lake Titicaca a unique lake? (p40-42)
Surrounding the lake are some very steep walls, making lake titicaca extremely deep

Orlove pp 45-67
What have ecological surveys shown about the how the fishermen manage lake resources? (p46)
They manage the lake well the populations of fish, birds, and plants were all stable.
Why is the story of Lake Titicaca unique in terms of natural resource management? (p47)
They often use resource at an unsustainable rate. In this context the story of lake titicaca villagers is
unusual and important because the outsiders are usually the ones who win.
How did Orlove resolve the issue about using the term ‘fishermen’ as opposed to ‘fisher’ or some
other term to describe the people he was studying? (p49)
I would use the word not a social scientific term that denoted a certain category of person but as an
english equivalent of a local word without any claims to generalizability.
When the villagers speak, what Spanish terms do they adopt and what Quechan terms do they
retain? Why is this the case? (p57)
Quechan terms are retained for work that takes place within the territory of the village and that
produced food and other basic necessities.
How do the meanings of the terms ‘Indian’ and ‘peasant’ differ? (p59)
Where indian implied cultural distinctions peasant indicated economic relations.
Why does Orlove tend to use the term ‘villager’ rather than ‘Indian’ or peasant’ to describe the people he is
studying? (p59)
Because villagers refers to space around the area the people are living.
How do the fishermen typically identify themselves? (p60)
As residesidents of specific place rather than as members of a social category.
Why does Orolve state that the role of the anthropologists is not to find labels that best fit particular groups?
(p67)
Orlove 68-115
What three aspects of Orlove’s research plan were most important to him? (p70)
List of the price of fish, a complete census of fisherman, and a detailed record of the fish
that the fisherman caught
What complications arose when Orlove began to study the ecology of Lake Titicaca? (p71)
Orlove had to figure out the different species of fish as well as the price points of each
respective fish
How did IMARPE contribute to Orlove’s project? (p72)
They had conducted a massive census 3 years prior to Orlove’s project
Describe the ‘catch survey’ method used by Orlove. (p75)
A researcher takes a sample of the total number of fishing economic units and trains the
members of this sample to record their catch; they also directly measure the catch of
another sample of such units to provide a reliability check.
Using simple statistics, they can extrapolate from the reports the catch of the entire
population
Why did Orlove pay the fishermen who participated in the research? What problems could this technique
create? (p78)
He paid them to ensure that the 14 month study would be completed with a cash money
prize of $80
Why did Orlove think the ritualized way in which the IMARPE staff distributed research materials to the
fisherman was important? (p83)
It was important because, while it did instill a sense of inferiority upon the fisherman in
relation to government procedures, it also created a sense of honor due to the inclusivity of
the study
What were the major sources of error in Orlove’s fishing study data? (p86)
When a fisherman recorded his catch
When he transferred data from the notebook to catch survey form
When hilda entered the data on the coding form
When the research assistant entered the data into the computer from the coding form
How did IMARPE interpret the results of the fish catch study? How did they use this information? (p89)
It would allow for IMARPE to advise on ongoing sustainability within the Altiplano region
How according to the ‘persistent tendency towards depletion theory’ could profits made from fishing stay
the same but the fish stock be steadily diminished? (p91) How does this theory justify regulation of
fishing by outsiders (e.g, scientists, policy-makers, etc.)?
Outsiders like fisherie biologists, fisheries economists, and government regulators could
regulate fishery stocks to ensure ongoing sustainable initiatives
How did Orlove determine that fishing was a viable livelihood and made good economic sense? (p94)
By determining that the returns were higher than that of all other jobs in the region;
averaging just under half a dollar per hour
Describe ‘territorial use rights in fishing’ (TURF). (p95)
They were a major factor in limiting external pressures from outside villages
How does TURF encourage local participation? (p95)
Supports the fact that local people should become involved in the management of the areas
 in which they live
How is the villagers’ interpretation of ‘work’ different than that of fisheries economics? (p101)
The allocation of human effort in ways that measurably yield a product, in this case, fish
What information did the fishermen leave out of their catch survey forms? (p107)
They never counted conversation or meetings as work, because they did not entail effort and
they yielded no concrete product
Why is fishing appealing to many men who live around Lake Titicaca? (p113)
Appeals to men in households with smaller fields and fewer animals, and hence with time
that might otherwise go unoccupied
How do bioeconomic models portray time? How is this different than the fishermen’s understanding of
time? (p115)
Neither space nor time is a resource to be used, its value determined by the income it can
generate. The villagers seek to fill in appropriate ways their workable spaces

Week 12 - Orlove pp. 117-172

Orlove pp. 117-172
Why are there so few native species in Lake Titicaca? (p117)
Carahi-fish eating predators
Who were the Urus? (p121)
Urus form cluster around lake Titicaca, also along lake and rivers in altiphano. The
poor,paid lower taxes than other Indians. Most of them lived off aquatic resources fish, wild
birds, abundant and high productive reed called totora. But some cultivated fields.
Why did the Urus population decline? (122)
a.Reduction due to change in identity. Many remain, some adopted Aymara language and
identity, other moved to mining town and other new centers, mingled and intermarried with
other Indian groups and lost their distinctiveness.
What is the most abundant fish in Lake Titicaca? Describe its characteristics and how it’s caught. (p129)
Ispi –graze on plankton, microscopic plants and animals that form the base of the food
chain, large eye allow them to see prey in minutes and in poorly lit waters, difficult to catch,
remain out in the middle of the lake at depth of 20-50meter.
In terms of economic status, how did fisherman in the late nineteenth century compare to others who
lived around the lake? (p130)
How did the 1930s drought benefit those who lived on the shore of the lake? (p132)
Villager were able to walk to the field on the hills that was cut off from the shores
when lake was high, more land exposed rich with muck from the bottom of lake,
good harvest of barley, fishes was used for soups
Why were trout introduced to the lake? (p133)
Native was small and bony, trout proving more abundant and higher qty catch. Trout might
prey on the ispi also.
With the introduction of the rainbow trout, only one local species went extinct. How was this fact linked
to the idea that many indigenous fishing techniques and practices remain important today on Lake
Titicaca? (p137)
How did the fisherman first react to the new trout? (p139)
He was unfamiliar with sharp-mouth that he threw it back in. they cut and share 10
 slices with the group, awe at pink fresh instead of white. Pink = dangerous and
rotten.
What led to the rise of nylon gill net use? (p140)
Nylon not stronger than wool or cotton, but dried quickly, rarely tore, and last a long time.
Describe how the spatial aspects of fishing changed after the introduction of the rainbow trout? (144)
Seeking new spots, gone out furthers, overnight fishing trips yield more large catch of trout,
risk of drowning.
Why did the fisherman have such detailed knowledge of the lake winds? (p146)
How did the introduction of canneries put pressure on and change the customary system of fishing
territories? (p148)
Money the fisherman earned gave them incentive to fish more frequently and at greater
distances from shore, purchase boat and nets. Traditionally fishing gear restricted to shore
and shallow waters. Gill nets deployed in deeper water away from shores.
Explain how the Peruvian government interpreted the decline in the trout population during the 1960s
(p150). How did the government try and solve the problem?
Government attributed the decline to overfishing-a reasonable explanation at the time, since
the number of wooden boats had increased, government officials tried to reduce the level of
catch, naval base demand fishermen to register their boats. Navy could have assumed the
level of control, rights to prohibit fishing boat from leaving the shores without a written
statement of permission from a harbor captain. 2nd gov. agency also took measure to restrict
the level of catch.
Describe the introduction of the silverside. Why was it introduced to the lake? And why did this fish
eventually replace the trout and why was it preferred by the fisherman over the trout? (p154)
Introduced by Oruro sporting fishing club, wanted a fish that will be more challenging to
catch, Silverside, muscular fish that able to survive and reproduce in colder waters.
Silverside-concentrate close to shore and in shallow water, no more than 10 meters deep,
small eye difficult to see prey or to avoid predators in the darker water. Compete with trout
for food, more voracious predator=decline trout and canneries.
Silverside caught in great abundance than trout, afforded for fishermen income, less likely
to be in canneries.
How did the introduction of fishing licenses challenge the customary system of fishing rights? (p159)
Fisherman who received a fishing license might cross the boundary between villages and
claim that the license gave him the right to do so. It was even possible that the navy would
issue licenses to fishermen who did not even come from lakeshores villages.
Why did the non-fishing communities around the lake support the fishermen’s’ attempts to protect their
system of customary fishing territories? (p160)
To the villages who earned a livelihood from their field and flocks, there fishing territories
were not merely a source of income to some of their neighbors, the were a integral part of
the village commons, a key elements of their collective patrimony, which prior generation
had protected and which they would guard as well.
What two threats pose the biggest challenge to Titicaca’s fisheries? (p166)
Risk of contamination from oil drilling at pirin
Large corporation diverting rivers
What part of Orlove’s fishing research were the local fishermen most interested in? (p171)
 Most interested in the experimentation through which the fisherman near Moho had
developed the bolsa.

1.Summarize and contrast passive and active forms of environmental management. Be

sure to illustrate each form with specific examples from lectures, films, or readings.

Active management is considered to be intentional manipulation of the

environment. Burning is one of the most common forms of active management, but
clearing land, cultivation, and constructed landscapes are a few other forms of active
management. Slash and burn cultivation was common amongst small-scale societies
and can be seen along the Xingu River in Brazil. Bali’s constructed landscape is another
example of an active form of environmental manipulation. We discussed in more detail
the “slash and burn” agriculture practiced by the modern Amazonian peoples and the
fact that much of the Amazon we know of would not exist without active management by
humans.
Passive management is a result of influence by various aspects of culture. Ceremonies
and rituals are some of the most common aspects of culture that influence
environmental management. The Balinese water temples and their rice-based
polycultural farming method is seen as a passive form of environmental manipulation.
While the polycultural farming method is an active form of environmental management,
the water management is done using the “subak” system which depends entirely on the
spiritual traditions that have been practiced for ages in the region. The main focus of the
subak system is the water temples which are protected by priests. This shows that a
culture’s religious practices influence the ecosystem and are forms of passive
management. Thank you! I wasn’t there for the class session discussing the Balinese so
I was

2. How is the industrial food system in the US connected to the rise of obesity in the
US?

In the United States, the industrial food system has changed our diets, and thus our
overall health in a number of ways. From an economic perspective, the industrial food
systems main focus is to turn a profit for its investors. This money driven method has
created monocropping farms who grow large amounts of a few crops (corn), which in
turn determines the ingredients going into our products. Lack of variety in ingredients as
well as farming methods such as large animal farms and farms using chemical fertilizer,
pesticides, irradiation, and processing have detrimental impacts on the nutritional value
of the products being mass produced. Since these products are much cheaper in
comparison to healthier options, families short on either money or time tend to gravitate
towards the cheaper, faster options. Convenience and limited options have created a
vicious cycle of malnutrition in the United States, and as a result, a rise in obesity.
Globally, aprox. 1 billion people are undernourished and aprox. 1 billion people are
obese…
Trend: Poor people in rich countries tend to be obese
Government spends 5 billion a year to subsidize corn
Only 1.1% of farmland is used for fruits and vegetables

3.Compare and contrast industrial farming systems with agroecology farming systems
like Polyface farms. Be sure to give specific examples from the course in your answer.

Industrial farming systems tend to focus on one specific crop such as corn, or grains.
Monocropping can be seen in industrial farming systems in 2008 when America’s Farm
Bill was introduced in which the government spent $5 billion a year subsidizing corn. In
contrast, agroecology farming systems have a more balanced approach to farming, and
treat their farms like farms rather than factories.
Agroecology strives to work with nature, not against it. Their techniques of crop
rotations, polyculture cropping, agroforestry systems, cover crops, and animal
integration directly reflect these values. Tired of the unfair practices of the industrial
farming systems, a group of people who sought to break the shackles this
unsustainable system formed The Greenhorns. Together they farm using sustainable
practices found within agroecology farming systems.
 Some other important differences to note between the industrial and agroecology
farming systems are energy usage, the market in which they operate, and the type of
technology used. Industrial farming systems tend to rely on fossil energy while
agroecology farming systems, which is used at Polyface farms, rely on solar energy.

4.Why do most of us in the industrialized world consume more than we need? And how
has The rise in consumer culture led to the ‘individualization of responsibility’?

Consumer culture has played a large role in the increased overconsumption of

the industrialized world. Capitalist values have blurred the lines between our wants and
our needs through the manipulation of our emotions by bombarding us with specifically
placed values within mainstream media.
Aside from our wants and needs, our overall variety of products have increased
alongside our limited choice to participate due to the structure of the system.
Industrialized consumer culture enforces the idea that the tangible object is less
important than the symbolism behind it. With this false sense of happiness, we fail to
realize that we are clouded by the illusion of choice in that most of these products we
consume are controlled by a handful of corporations.
Individualization of responsibility is partly a result of our consumer culture in that
overconsumption has created many of the environmental problems we face today. To
add insult to injury, these companies take advantage of this by “green washing” the
market. Preying on the passion for solving the environmental crisis, companies shift the
blame from elites and powerful producer groups while providing the illusion that our
purchase of a product with a message is solving the crisis. In short, our culture of
consumption has quite a paradoxical relationship to the individualization of
responsibility.

5.Summarize how the fishing communities around Lake Titicaca regulate fishing
activities.

Each village restricted fishing rights to its local inhabitants which kept a limit on
the total number of fishermen in the lake. With new technologies like the canary and
neon gills, the fishing territory still consisted of the portions of the lake adjacent to its
land, but now extended farther into the lake. In other cases, the fisherman moved out of
their customary village territories to invade the richer fishing grounds of other villages
near the of rivers. This sometimes caused issues and standoffs where fisherman felt
entitled to fish for trout in grounds belonging to
neighboring villages. but even the most hard pressed villages were able to maintain
control of their fishing grounds. pg 149 essay only the deepest waters of the lake
farthest from shore generally with poor fishing remained open to outsiders.
2.) 160-How did the introduction of fishing licenses challenge the customary system of
fishing rights? (p159)

the only people who registered their boats were the lakeshore fisherman who followed
the well established system of village fishing territories. in contrast, a fisherman who
received a fishing license might cross the boundary between villages and claim that the
license gave him the right to do so.
Why did the non-fishing communities around the lake support the fishermen's' attempts
to protect their system of customary fishing territories? (p160)
because to villagers, the fishing territories weren't just a source of income to some of
their neighbors, they were an integral part of the village commons, a key element of
their collective patrimony which prior generations had protected.

despite the govs regulations and its allocation of fishing rights to others, the customary
rules remain in force, allowing only lakeshore villagers access to fishing grounds.
the village based system of fishing rights is a major restraint on any growth since it
places such strong limits on the access to fishing.

6.Jared Diamond argues that the Maya underwent collapse while

McAnany and Negrón suggest a different outcome. Summarize their debate.
Diamond argues that the Maya collapse was due to the mayan people exhausting their
resources. As the population continued to grow, and civilization went from small
communities to a hierarchy of kings who made most of the decisions. The kings and
nobles failed to solve problems on the environment and poverty, just like in today's
society. The mayans depleted their land, deforested it, and went to war with each other.
Because they were at constant risk of drought, there were times when they couldn't
grow crops they needed to survive. Dimond does not address this (or does he), but i
think this article takes a malthusian approach to population. When the population grew
to much there was a population check. There was a drought, people went to war
possibly for resources, and many people died or moved from the area that couldn't
sustain them anymore. (erosion [environmental degradation] of the land and anemia
throughout the citizens due to malnutrition.)

7.Compare and contrast the US industrial farming system and the

rice-based polyculture found in eastern Asian. In what ways are they similar? Different?
How are they similar?? How are they different??

Rice-based polyculture is a simple system. Despite that, farmers are still highly
skilled and tend to be more self-sufficient. It requires a high population and specific
environments for it to be successful. It developed in areas where land is scarce and
labor was cheap. Industrial farming is much more complex. Not many people are
required to carry out the farming nor does it require extremely specific environments.
Industrial farming alters the land that crops grow on through fertilizer and the
hybridization of seeds to make them more adaptable to many environments.
Both systems focus on trying to get the highest yield out of their crops in the
amount of land that they have. The difference is that there is less land in eastern Asia,
so their farming is intensive and on a smaller scale. The United States as a lot of land
to plant crops on and therefore practice extensive agriculture on a larger scale. There’s
a focus on certain crops instead of many different ones. The United States has a high
focus on corn and soybeans where rice-based polyculture is focused on rice. They
required a lot of labor, but how the labor is carried differs between the two systems. US
agriculture uses a lot of mechanized energy whereas rice-based polyculture uses
human energy. More calories go into producing food in US industrial farming than rice-
based polyculture.
Since rice-based polyculture focuses on human labor, farmers spend a lot more
time to grow their crops. While it takes more time to grow an acre, this practice is more
energy efficient. There isn’t a lot of waste produced as it relies more on organic
fertilizers. However, with the introduction of nitrogen based fertilizers, the excess
nitrogen runs off into the ocean. Mechanized agriculture in the United States takes
significantly less time, but it is a highly inefficient system of energy use. This practice is
very polluting since fossil fuels are required for the machines. The excess nitrogen from
the the fertilizer depletes the oxygen in water and creates hypoxic zones.
Quiz 2

Over 80% of California water goes to agriculture. According to lecture this demonstrates what?
● structural and organizational factors are a major barrier to sustainability

Out of 2.1 million farms in 2002, in the US, what percent accounted for 75% of total farm
product sales.
● 7%

According to lecture and Bodley, in what sense is the industrial food system extremely inefficient
relative to less complex food systems? The industrial food system requires:
● More energy to produce the same amount of food when non-human inputs are
accounted for
Pollan calls hybrid corn “greedy” because it ____ more than any other crop.
● consumes more fertilizer
QUIZ #3

Which of the following is true regarding techniques such as crop rotations, polycultures, animal
integration, cover crops, etc.?
● They involve agricultural methods modeled on ecological principles (agro-ecology)

Which of following examples from class does not represent an alternative to industrial food
production:
● Round-up Ready cotton
● (Polyface farms, Greenhorns, Ron Finley aka guerilla gardener ALL DO_

According to Diamond, one sign of Maya collapse is deteriorating health and malnutrition
evident in archaeological records from:
● Skeletal remains showing porous surfaces on the skull, exemplifying malnutrition

McAnany and Negron primarily argue that the “societal collapse of Maya civilization” as discussed by Jared Diamond is
better understood as what?
● Cultural change

QUIZ #4

Burning forest to clear it for cultivation is an example of ____, while the practices of the Balinese
water priests reflect ____
● active environmental management, passive environmental management

Archaeological sequence of pottery in Marajo island, Brazil became more intricate and detailed
the deeper the archaeologists dug. Meggers states that this suggest:
● Social complexity there had decreased over time (complex society moved into area but
changed and became less complex over time because they couldn’t practice agriculture)

Because the lowland tropics in Amazonia are a counterfeit paradise, societies that pre-date the
arrival of europeans engaged in all of the following techniques except
● Swidden (slash and burn) horticulture
● (Did participate in making terra preta, managed forests, domestication of landscapes)

According to Orlove, why did the introduction of fishing licenses challenge the customary
system of fishing rights on Lake Titicaca? It potentially allowed:
● Individuals to fish in non-customary territory

Orlove explains there are only a few native species in Lake Titicaca.
● True