The future of agriculture

Select the reasons why it is necessary to rethink the way we practice agriculture.

• Currently agriculture contributes significantly to global warming

• Current agricultural practices can produce more than enough food to feed the projected human population of 11 billion in 2050

• Currently agriculture protects natural habitats

• Currently agriculture is causing aquatic and terrestrial habitat destruction

• It currently contributes significantly to water pollution

Which of the following is an undesirable impact of modern agriculture?

• Increased mechanization

• Increased food production

• Erosion

• Effective pest control

• Reduced manual labour

Since agriculture contributes significantly to environmental degradation and climate change, agricultural practices need to be revisited. What are some requirements of agriculture in the future: (select all that apply).

• Smaller areas of land used for farming

• Increased food production

• Monoculture farm expansion

• Reduced livestock farming

• Increased agrochemical use

The image was taken in the amazon rainforest of South America. The land is cleared for agricultural expansion. Which of the following are negative side effects of agricultural expansion?

• Deforestation

• Habitat destruction

• Increased food production

• Biodiversity loss

• Source of income for the local population

Aquatic dead zones can be caused by

• fertilizer in runoff

• growing cover crops

• agroforestry

• conservation tillage

Which of the following are the benefits of precision indoor, vertical and greenhouse farming?

• Water conservation

• Increased food production on less land

• Increased air pollution

• Reduced transportation distance and time

• Increased water pollution

David Attenborough taught us that carnivores require extensive areas of land each and so with the human population growing far beyond what the environment would normally sustain, humans need to change from being meat eaters. We need to source our animal protein from the water. However, fish farming, just like farming on land, needs to be sustainable. What are some of the potential impacts of aquaculture?

• Decreased water oxygen content

• Algal blooms and dead zones

• Water purification

• Accumulation of fish waste

Select the benefits associated with growing Kelp (Seaweed)

• Require no inputs

• Can be consumed with minimal processing

• It is an excellent substitute for fish

• It only requires a small area of land to grow

• Fast growth rate

Even more advantages of seaweed farming?

• Carbon sequestration

• It can be practiced in only a few small areas of the ocean

• Reduces ocean acidification

• Prevents algal blooms

• Weakens ocean ecosystems

What is the name of the gene editing tool used for genetically modifying foods?

• CRIMPER (CAR 5)

• CRISPR (CAS 9)

• Gene Editor 9

• Biotech 9