Th. Nov.

11
Two possible extra credit events (probably the last):
 NH Astronomical Society: Objects in the Night Sky.
Tues. Nov. 16, 6:30-8 pm, MH102
 River of Words Opening: Thursday, November 18, at
6:30 pm in Pierce Hall
Other due dates:
 Final projects – Paper is due Dec. 1 or 3

 Presentation last week of lab Dec. 8 or 10

Exam 3 is during finals week –

 12:15 Lecture: Sun. Dec. 12, 3:15 pm

 1:40 Lecture: Mon. Dec. 13, 1 pm

 Time to choose classes!
 ES102 – Same lecture times;
Labs:
 ES102.32 Wed. 10-11:50 Koning

 ES102.33 Wed. 2-3:50 Singleton

 ES102.31 Wed. 4-5:50 Singleton

 ES102.34 Fri. 10-11:50 Koning

 ES102.35 Fri. 12-1:50 Rolke

 Environmental classes for
Freshmen
 ES/BI214 Coastal Ecology – 3 credits, meets 6
times during the semester, goes to Cape Cod
May 16-22. $800 course fee!
 ES210 Evolution of Env. Thought – Harris – Tu,
Th 10:50-12:05
 ES240 Creating Sustainable Communities –
Koning – Tu, Th 9:25-10:40
 Other options for upperclass students – Wildlife
Conservation, Evol. Biol.
 “Environmental Estrogens”
 =Endocrine disruptors
 Male fish producing eggs…
 Mutant frogs…
 Declining sperm counts…
 What is causing it?
 Question for Environmental
Health and Toxicology
specialists
 Connects to many
environmental problems
 Agriculture
A. Global food supply and demand
B. Soils
C. Impacts of agriculture
D. Sustainable agriculture

http://www.wabusinessnews.com.au/admin/files/article/ordcrop-lge.jpg
How do environmental estrogens relate to the topic
of agriculture?

1. Some pesticides act

like hormones
2. Fertilizers can
combine with soil to
create estrogen-like
chemicals
3. People who are
undernourished are
more susceptible to
the diseases caused
0% 0% 0%
by env. estrogens
1 2 3
 What are the problems with global, industrial
agriculture?

1. Conversion of habitat
to farms
2. Pesticide and
fertilizer pollution
3. Farms produce
greenhouse gases
4. Loss of soil fertility
5. All of the above
0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

1 2 3 4 5
 A. Global food supply & demand
 15% of people in the world are chronically
undernourished (<2200 cal/day); Down from
60% in 1960!
 Pop. Has increased by 1.7% per yr, food prodn
has increased by 2.2% per yr (last 45 yrs.)
 Why did food production increase?

 “Green Revolution” – 1950’s – post WWII

 Industrial agriculture:
 Machinery to plant, cultivate, harvest
 Chemical fertilizers

 Chemical pesticides – kill weeds,

insects
How does pop. Growth in China encourage habitat
destruction in Brazil?

1. Many Chinese are

migrating to Brazil
and building homes
2. China imports a lot of
Brazilian wood
3. China imports a lot of
Brazilian soybeans
4. China imports a lot of
Brazilian beef
0% 0% 0% 0%

1 2 3 4
 Malnutrition = not the right mix of foods – still a
problem ; kills 10 million children per yr 1
 Most of world food calories (>60%) come from
wheat, rice and corn
 Food security=having access to the right mix of
foods

1
http://www.bread.org/learn/globa
l-hunger-issues/malnutrition.html
 Thursday Nov. 23
 Paper for Final project due the week after break!
 How can we
make agriculture
more
SUSTAINABLE?
Sustainable agriculture=
maintains soil, keeps
water clean, protects
habitat, produces healthy
food, allows farmers to
make a living?
 D. Solutions from sustainable agriculture
1. To control erosion:
 Minimize cultivation/tilling
 Plow with the contours – reduce water runoff
 Strip-farming – plants strips of soil-holding
crops

Low-till farming – leave the corn

http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/images/strip.jpg stalks, plant new crop
 D. Solutions from sustainable agriculture
1. To control erosion: Protect soil with:
 Cover crops=plants that cover more of soil
 Mulch=dead stuff (leaves, corn stalks, etc.)

http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/nwl/2006/2006-4-leoletter/cover.htm
 “No-till agriculture” means
1. Not plowing the land 59%
to remove the weeds
or old crops
2. Not leaving any
weeds in the field
3. Not planting crops on
glacial till soils
14% 14% 14%
4. Cultivating the soil as
much as possible

1 2 3 4
 How does a cover crop prevent
erosion?
1. It protects the soil
from the energy of 36%
the rain/wind
2. It shades the soil
from the sun 23% 23%
3. It has roots that hold
soil together
14%
4. All of the above
5. Only 1 and 2
5%
6. Only 1 and 3 0%

1 2 3 4 5 6
 D. Solutions from sustainable agriculture
2. Fertilizers:
a. Use organic fertilizers,
manure – less likely to
dissolve in water
b. Let fields “rest” – build
soil
c. Plant nitrogen fixing Only about 5% of farms in US
crops use manure for fertilizer

http://www.extension.org/pages/Manure_Use_for_Fertilizer_and_Energy:_June_2009_Report_to_Congress
D. Solutions from sustainable agriculture
2. Fertilizers
d. Plant several crops,
not monoculture
e. Only fertilize at right
time
f. Protect waterways
with vegetated filter
strips
 How does a vegetated filter strip
prevent water pollution?
1. Plant absorb the 40%
pollution thru roots
2. Plants prevent
water from getting 25%
into the stream 20%

3. Plants slow down 15%

the water, soil drops
out
4. All of the above
1 2 3 4
Planting a variety of crops keeps
soil more fertile because…
1. Different crop plants use 68%
different kinds of
nutrients
2. Different crop plants
attract different insects
3. Different crop plants can
become fertilizer
16%
resistant 11%
4. All of the above 5%

1 2 3 4
D. Solutions from sustainable agriculture
3. Pests: Integrated pest management
a. Rotate crops – don’t plant same crop in same
place – insects build up if you do
b. Plant mix of crops – attract beneficial insects
c. Check often for pests, quickly use organic/low
impact pesticides before pest population
explodes
d. Weeds – remove mechanically, use mulch
e. Organic – no artificial chemicals used, no
GMOs

Parisitoid wasp
eggs on
Tomato
hornworm
 How do beneficial insects reduce
water pollution?
1. Add nutrients to the
soil, reduce the 65%
need for fertilizers
2. Help soil resist
erosion
3. Kill insects that eat
crops, so need less 20%
pesticides 10%
4. All of the above 5%

1 2 3 4
 Can organic farming feed the
world?
Yes!

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090251610900.htm
D. Solutions from sustainable agriculture
4. Low-input, sustainable agriculture = farmer
spends less on pesticides and fertilizers
 Smaller scale, higher yields most of the time

 More profit to farmer

 But organic food

can be more expensive

D. Solutions from sustainable agriculture
5. Local farming
 Our food comes from an average of 1500 miles away –
problems with this?
 Use of fossil fuels to transport it! Causes climate change,
pollution, other problems
 Reduce ecological footprint of food - Buy local!

 Farmer’s markets

 Community-supported agriculture

 Support family farms – people more likely to care about the

land
 Why is ORGANIC not necessarily SUSTAINABLE?

 If the organic food is from far away!

D. Solutions from sustainable agriculture
6. Eat lower on the food chain
 Takes less energy, land to grow veggies, fruit, than
animal products (lower ecological footprint)
7. Eliminate CAFOs
 Grass-fed beef, free-range chickens: Less cruel,
healthier for us and them
 Only buy hormone-free, antibiotic-free meats

http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-natural-beef.asp
 Which food choice is likely to have the
LEAST negative impact on the
environment?
1. Organic, local beef 69%

2. Organic, local
vegetables
3. Organic fruit grown
in New Zealand
4. Beef from a CAFO

5. Grass-fed, organic 13% 13%

6%
beef from Russia 0%

1 2 3 4 5
 For further reading:
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan
MODERN AGRICULTURE Disadvantages:
 Soil erosion
 Fertilizer, pesticide pollution
Advantages:  Overuse of water
 High yield  Loss of small family farms
 Large profits  Dependence on fossil fuels

 Larger scale of  Destruction of ecosystems

operations/agribusiness  Loss of wildlife

corporations  Transportation impacts –

 Research and global climate change!

 Taste, health
innovations – new crop
 Inhumane treatment of
varieties, methods
 Reliable food supply
animals?

 Variety of food choices

 Cheaper food!