C.4.

2 Agricultural
Science
Population Growth and Food Supply
Lesson Outcomes

 List challenges faced in feeding the people of our

planet.
 Describe scientific innovations that have
increased food yields.
 Evaluate the use of agrochemicals in food
production.
Challenges to feeding the global
population: THINK PAIR SHARE
 availability of arable land
 accessible water
 population pressures
 climate change
 economic factors
 transport and storage
Lesson Outcomes

 List challenges faced in feeding the people of our

planet.
 Describe scientific innovations that have
increased food yields.
 Evaluate the use of agrochemicals in food
production.
How did this happen?
Innovations in Agriculture: Selective
Breeding

 Selective breeding of crops has allowed us to

produce more food.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg9-
HTtgFOk&feature=youtu.be
Selective Breeding

 Borlaug improved crop yields of wheat through

selective breeding
 Crossed mold-resistant wheat strains with
local varieties
 Crossed dwarf varieties with stronger stems
with local varieties (to support heavy heads
filled with seeds)
 By crossing for several different
characteristics, created the ”Miracle Seed.”
Innovations in Agriculture: Fertilizers

 The use of fertilizers and other

agrochemicals have also increased crop
yields.

 The Haber Process

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1_D
4FscMnU
Fertilizers
 Plants depend on nutrients, which can be provided by the chemicals in the
fertilizer
 Synthetic fertilizers are best known for being fast-acting and for coming in a
variety of forms (liquid, pellets, granules, spikes, etc.).
 Synthetic fertilizers are water-soluble and can be taken up by the plant
almost immediately. .
 Haber Process
 Chemical reaction is 3H2 +N2  2NH3 (ammonia)
 Nitrogen from air is turned into fertilizer
 Plants use nitrogen in the soil: can’t use it from the
air because the structure is too complex (triple-
bonded.)
 Nitrogen can replenish itself in the soil, but the soil
is depleted more quickly that it is replaced due to
farming of crops
 3 billion extra people are fed because of this process
 System in equilibrium is placed under pressure so
that the reaction can proceed and produce large
quantities of ammonia, which is added to soil
 Excess H and N are added to the system.
Lesson Outcomes

 List challenges faced in feeding the people of our

planet.
 Describe scientific innovations that have
increased food yields.
 Evaluate the use of agrochemicals in food
production.
Agrochemicals
 Pesticides
 Synthetic fertilizers
 Hormones
 Antibiotics
Agrochemical “Debate”
 RESOLVED: That the use of agrochemicals* is the best
method to produce enough food to nourish the 7.4 billion
people that populate the Earth. 20
 Pesticides: mins
 Synthetic fertilizers:
 Hormones:
 Antibiotics

 Each student will research either a pros or cons of one of the

above agrochemicals. You will have one minute to convince the
panel.
Task during presentations:
20
mins
 Make a note of what EACH speaker says in the
handout.

 After, you will exchange worksheets.

 The individual notes will be compared to the

powerpoint notes.

 Omissions will be corrected with a post it.

Pesticides: Consequences
 A substance used for destroying insects or other
organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to
animals
 Improves crops yields
 Overwhelming evidence that some of these
chemicals do pose a potential risk to humans
and other life forms
 Farmers and their families and other persons
who use chemical pesticides regularly are at
greatest risk for achieving toxic levels in their
bodies
 Can damage public water supply by leaching
into groundwater
 Can leave toxic residue on food
Fertilizers: Consequences
• Man-made inorganic compound that is
applied to soil to supply plant nutrients
essential to growth

• Fertilizer run-off causes excessive

richness of nutrients in a lake or other
body of water causing dense growth of
plants and algae (eutrophication)

• Causes depletion of oxygen, which

allows algae to grown into an “algal
bloom.”

• Can contaminate water consumed by

humans and other organisms; toxic
Antibiotics: Consequences
 Medicine given to stop bacterial infections;
given preventatively instead of curatively;
 Because large numbers of animals are raised
in close proximity, diseases can spread easily;
farmers routinely add antibiotics to livestock
feed to combat sickness in their animals.
 Promotes the growth of antibiotic resistant
strains of bacteria.
 Easy transfer of resistant bacteria to humans
Hormones
 Substance produced by an organism to regulate body
processes (estrogen, testosterone, growth hormone)
 Can be used to increase lactation in cows to produce
more milk This milk also contains more protein and
can have less fat.

 Growth hormones (Insulin growth factor IGF) added to

enhance growth rates, resulting in larger poultry more
quickly. This allows more people to be fed.

 Some studies indicate an increased risk of prostate

and breast cancer, though further research is needed.

 Fear that improper use of estrogen in livestock may

cause early puberty, though few studies exist.
NOS OBJECTIVES

 There are many challenges in providing sufficient food to a growing

global population. 4.8
 Scientific innovation in agrochemicals (pesticides, synthetic
fertilizers, hormones and other chemical growth agents) and in land
use has led to increased food yield that has helped to support the
growing population. 4.8
 Animals are frequently treated with antibiotics and hormones to
increase food yields and profitability.
 The use of agrochemicals has a negative impact on the environment.
4.5
Resources

 Michael Pollan Omnivore’s Dilemma

 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5342514

 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/feeding-9-billion/

 Netflix series “Cooked”

 https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/DDT_and_Birds.h
tml
Exam style question
Mark Scheme
Lesson Outcomes

 List challenges faced in feeding the people of our

planet.
 Describe scientific innovations that have
increased food yields.
 Evaluate the use of agrochemicals in food
production.