SOC 808 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Agricultural Policy, Heterosis, Farm Crisis
11 Dec 2015
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Chapter 10 crisis in the food system. Gain critical understanding of the key forces that have changed farming and food production in canada. Industrialization of farming began with the replacement of horses by tractors: tractor fuel increased greenhouse gases and made food production vulnerable to risks dependent on non-renewable resources, cost to purchase tractors made large farms necessary. Use of hybrid seeds and chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides. Need to purchase new hybrid seeds each year because subsequent. Ability to produce uniform, standardized product at greater speed and: achieving mass production means genetic diversity is supressed, generations lose hybrid vigour higher volume than on small-scale diversified farms environment artificially controlled, inputs (feed, fertilizer) are standardized. Elimination of natural diversity of living organisms. Drive to greater efficiency and productivity has led to greater specialization: elimination of a mixed farm and trend towards large-scale operations and monocultures.
