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Agriculture system thinking: name the 4 parts often used to describe it.
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All Flashcards in Topic 5.2
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5.2.110 cards
Agriculture system thinking: name the 4 parts often used to describe it.
Inputs, outputs, stores, and flows.
Systems language.
In ESS, why is agriculture described as a human-managed ecosystem?
Because humans control inputs and outputs (seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, pesticides, machinery) to maximize food production, changing energy flows and nutrient cycling.
Managed system with inputs/outputs.
Give three common inputs to agricultural systems.
Examples: seeds/livestock, fertilizers (NPK), pesticides, irrigation water, fossil fuel energy, labour.
Inputs = what goes in.
Give one example of an agricultural input and one output.
Input: fertilizer or irrigation water. Output: harvested crops (and possibly runoff pollution).
One in, one out.
Give three common outputs from agricultural systems.
Food products plus wastes and impacts such as manure, crop residues, pollution runoff, and soil erosion.
Food + waste/pollution.
Name two examples of terrestrial food production types.
Crop farming and livestock farming (also mixed farming, plantation, agroforestry).
Any two.
What is plantation agriculture?
Large-scale farming of a single cash crop (monoculture), often for export, e.g., palm oil or rubber.
Monoculture cash crop.
Name four types of terrestrial food production systems.
Crop farming, livestock farming, mixed farming, agroforestry (also plantation agriculture).
Different farming systems.
Why can agriculture have large environmental impacts?
It uses large areas of land and water and can cause habitat loss, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil degradation.
Land + water + pollution.
Name one reason agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Examples: methane from livestock, nitrous oxide from fertilizers, CO2 from machinery and land-use change.
CH4 / N2O / CO2.
5.2.210 cards
Which farming type usually has higher yield per hectare: intensive or extensive?
Intensive agriculture.
High inputs → higher yield.
Define intensive agriculture.
Intensive agriculture maximizes yield per unit area using high inputs of labour, capital, fertilizers, and technology.
High inputs per area.
Define extensive agriculture.
Extensive agriculture uses large areas with low inputs per unit area, often relying on natural conditions and producing lower yields per hectare.
Low inputs per area.
Which farming type usually uses larger land area: intensive or extensive?
Extensive agriculture.
Large area, lower yield.
Give one example of intensive agriculture and one example of extensive agriculture.
Intensive: factory farming or irrigated rice. Extensive: pastoral ranching or dryland farming.
One example each.
Name one key drawback of extensive agriculture.
It often requires habitat clearance over large areas, increasing habitat loss and fragmentation.
Large land footprint.
State one environmental impact commonly linked to intensive agriculture.
Higher pollution risk from fertilizer and pesticide runoff (also higher energy use and soil compaction).
High-input side effects.
Name one key drawback of intensive agriculture.
High inputs increase risks like pollution runoff, soil compaction, and greenhouse gas emissions.
High-input impacts.
Exam-style: why is there no single “best” farming approach?
Because sustainability depends on context and priorities (yield, biodiversity, water use, pollution, livelihoods).
Context matters.
Explain the land sparing vs land sharing debate in one sentence.
Intensive farming may spare land by producing more on less area, while extensive/low-intensity farming may share land with biodiversity but needs more area.
Yield vs area.
5.2.310 cards
Define eutrophication.
Eutrophication is nutrient enrichment of water bodies (often nitrates/phosphates) causing algal blooms and oxygen depletion.
Nutrients → algae → low O2.
Name two water impacts of agriculture.
Eutrophication and water scarcity (also salinization and pesticide contamination).
Water impacts list.
Explain how fertilizer runoff can reduce biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems.
Runoff adds nutrients → algal bloom → algae die and decompose → bacteria use oxygen → hypoxia/anoxia → fish and invertebrates die, reducing biodiversity.
Cause-effect chain.
Name two soil impacts of agriculture.
Erosion and nutrient depletion (also compaction and loss of organic matter).
Soil impacts list.
Give two soil impacts caused by agriculture.
Erosion from bare fields and compaction from heavy machinery (also nutrient depletion and loss of organic matter).
Soil impacts.
Why is habitat destruction strongly linked to agriculture?
Large areas are cleared for cropland and pasture, making agriculture a major driver of biodiversity loss.
Land conversion.
Which three gases are commonly associated with agriculture?
CO2, CH4, and N2O.
The “big three”.
What is monoculture and why can it reduce biodiversity?
Monoculture is growing a single crop species over a large area; it removes habitat diversity and simplifies food webs, reducing biodiversity.
Single crop, simplified habitat.
Name one greenhouse gas linked to agriculture and its source.
Methane from ruminant livestock, nitrous oxide from fertilized soils, or CO2 from machinery and land-use change.
Match gas to source.
Exam-style: what approach should you use for “impacts” questions?
Use clear cause-effect chains (activity → pollutant/process → ecosystem change → biodiversity/productivity impact).
Chain thinking.
5.2.410 cards
What are food miles?
Food miles are the distance food travels from producer to consumer.
Distance travelled.
What is the typical energy transfer between trophic levels?
About 10%.
Rule of ten.
Which diet typically has a lower ecological footprint: plant-based or meat-based?
Plant-based diets typically have a lower ecological footprint.
Lower trophic level.
What is trophic efficiency and what is a typical value?
Trophic efficiency is the proportion of energy transferred between trophic levels; it is typically around 10%.
About 10%.
Why are plant-based diets generally more energy-efficient than meat-based diets?
Eating plants means eating at a lower trophic level, avoiding the large energy losses (~90%) that occur at each transfer to higher trophic levels.
Lower trophic level.
Give one reason meat production is resource-intensive.
It requires more land, water, and feed because energy is lost between trophic levels.
Energy losses.
List four factors that affect food choices between regions.
Climate, water availability, culture/religion, wealth/economic development (also technology and environmental value systems).
Think environment + society.
Name two non-environmental factors that influence diet.
Culture/religion and wealth/economic development (also technology).
Socio-economic.
Why do food miles not always tell the full environmental impact story?
Because production methods and storage can cause more emissions than transport, so local food is not automatically lower-impact.
Production can dominate.
Exam-style: for “why diets differ” questions, what should you include?
A mix of climate/water constraints plus cultural/economic/technology explanations and at least one specific example.
Mix factors + example.
5.2.510 cards
Define sustainable agriculture.
Sustainable agriculture meets current food needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Present needs vs future needs.
Sustainable agriculture must protect which three environmental areas?
Soil health, water quality/availability, and biodiversity (while reducing pollution).
Soil, water, biodiversity.
Give four principles of sustainable agriculture.
Maintain soil health, conserve water, protect biodiversity, minimize pollution (also reduce emissions and ensure economic viability).
Soil, water, biodiversity, pollution.
Name two sustainable farming approaches.
Organic farming and agroforestry (also permaculture, regenerative agriculture, precision agriculture).
Any two.
What is organic farming (in one sentence)?
Organic farming avoids synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and relies on natural inputs to maintain soil health and productivity.
No synthetic chemicals.
Why must sustainable agriculture be economically viable?
If farmers cannot make a living, practices will not be adopted or maintained long-term.
Adoption depends on livelihoods.
What does precision agriculture aim to do?
Apply inputs (water/fertilizer/pesticide) only where needed, reducing waste and pollution.
Right input, right place.
What is integrated pest management (IPM)?
IPM is an approach that reduces pesticide use by combining monitoring and biological/physical controls, using chemicals only when necessary.
Use pesticides as last resort.
Exam-style: what must you include in a 9-mark “evaluate agriculture” essay?
Definitions, comparisons of practices, environmental and socio-economic trade-offs, and a justified conclusion.
Evaluate = balanced judgement.
Give one potential benefit and one concern about GMOs.
Benefit: higher yields or pest resistance (less pesticide). Concern: gene flow to wild relatives or unknown long-term ecological effects.
One pro, one con.
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What is contour ploughing and how does it reduce erosion?
Ploughing along the contour lines of a slope slows runoff, increases infiltration, and reduces soil being washed downhill.
Across slope, not up/down.
Name three erosion-prevention methods.
Contour ploughing, terracing, and windbreaks (also cover crops, mulching, no-till).
Slow wind/water.
Name three fertility-maintenance methods.
Crop rotation, intercropping, and composting/green manures (also nitrogen-fixing legumes).
Nutrients + structure.
How do cover crops help conserve soil?
They protect bare soil from rainfall impact and wind, reduce erosion, and add organic matter when incorporated or decomposed.
Protect soil between seasons.
Explain how no-till farming can reduce soil degradation.
No-till keeps soil structure intact and leaves residues on the surface, reducing erosion and improving organic matter and water retention.
Do not plough.
How do windbreaks reduce soil erosion?
They reduce wind speed at the surface, lowering the ability of wind to pick up and transport soil particles.
Reduce wind speed.
How does crop rotation maintain soil fertility?
Different crops use different nutrients, rotations break pest/disease cycles, and legumes can add nitrogen through fixation, improving fertility.
Rotation benefits list.
Why is explaining the mechanism important in soil conservation exam answers?
Because marks are awarded for how the method works (how it reduces erosion or improves fertility), not just naming it.
Explain how, not just what.
Why is “prevention better than restoration” especially true for soil?
Because soil forms extremely slowly, while erosion and degradation can remove fertile topsoil quickly.
Slow to form.
Give two methods used to restore degraded soil.
Add organic matter (compost/manure/biochar) and adjust chemistry/structure (liming for acidity, gypsum for sodic soils), plus reforestation or fallow periods.
Restoration methods.
Topic 5.2 study notes
Full notes & explanations for Agriculture and food
ESS exam skills
Paper structures, command terms & tips
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