11/28/11%1%Geog%2412:%Nov.%29,%2011%French%Fries%Announcements%• Final%Exam:%Monday,%December%12,%4:30pmH7pm%%• Final%Paper%due%next%week%in%recitaMon%• Event:%'“Great%Fear,%Great%Hope:%Climate%Change%And%The%Meaning%Of%Life”%With%Author%Auden%Schendler’%– Wed%Nov%30,%6pm,%HumaniMes%150%Outline%• French%Fries%as%an%object:%why?%• NatureHSociety%RelaMons%– Controlling%nature%– How%we%think%about%and%produce%food%• Agriculture%– MonoHcropping%– GMOs%Keywords:%Monocropping,%Colombian%Exchange,%agroHdiversity,%GMO%11/28/11%2%French%Fries%&%HumanHNature%RelaMons%• A%naturalHsocial%object%• A%story%of%controlling%nature%• Environmental%costs%of%potato%producMon%• Botany%of%desire:%Seeing%things%from%the%plant’s%point%of%view%• Human%demands%for%certain%kinds%of%potatoes%• Potatoes'%demands%for%certain%kinds%of%care%• Not%all%potatoes%can%become%French%Fries:%specific%costs,%pacerns,%and%impacts%%%The%potato:%a%history%• NaMve%to%Andes%Region,%Peru%%5,000%variaMons%%• DomesMcated%7H8,000%yrs%ago%• Transferred%to%Europe%through%Columbian%Exchange%11/28/11%3%The%potato%• Cultural%baggage%%• MulMple%varieMes%narrowed%down%to%one%(The%famous%russet%(1872)%• Mass%producMon%• Monoculture%• Loss%of%geneMc%agroHdiversity%Potato%producMon%• Monocropping%– Demand%for%Russet%Burbanks%– Mechanized%agriculture%• Agricultural%inputs:%– Energy,%ferMlizers,%insecMcides,%water%• Low%profit%margins%• ConMnued%tread%mill%of%producMon%• What%then?%The$Botany$of$Desire:$A$Plant's5Eye$View$of$the$World%%based%on%the%book%by%Michael%Pollan%hcp://video.pbs.org/video/1283872815/%%For%more%info:%hcp://www.pbs.org/thebotanyofdesire/mapHMmeline.php%%11/28/11%4%Agriculture%“Tradi&onal”%• Polycropping%• RainHfed%• Hand/animal%plowed%• Organic%FerMlizers%– Manure%– ʻgreen%manureʼ%– %burning%• RotaMon/fallow%periods%“Industrial”.• Monocropping%• IrrigaMon%• Tractors%%• Inorganic%FerMlizers%• Chemical%pesMcides%and%herbicides%• The%pesMcide%cycle%• Constant%farming%• Large%scale%environmental%impacts%Industrial Agriculture: Feeding the world, but at what cost? Green Revolution • Pollution from synthetic fertilizers • Pollution from synthetic pesticides • Irrigation - Water depletion and salinization • Fossil fuels used for heavy equipment • Reduced biodiversity • Heavy financial burden on poor farmers GMOs • questionable ecologically and ethnically • Further reduces biodiversity/agrodiversity • Risks of ʻsuperpestsʼ • Health risks • Reliance on patented seeds • Financial burden (cannot re-use seeds) • Loss of indigenous knowledge and breeds Loss of Diversity • In productive as well as protected spaces • Cultural as well as ecological • Source of livelihood • Monocultures - destroyed genetic diversity • Pesticides, fertilizers - destroyed soil life, farm diversity (outside of crops) • High production focus, ʻimproved seedsʼ - destroyed cultural diversity, knowledge systems, social autonomy. • GMOS introducing brand new varieties11/28/11%5%Environmental%Impacts%of%French%Fries%• The%Body%%%– Food%selecMon%– Obesity%– Transfats%– GMOs?%(always%a%choice?)%%• Landscape%– Monocropping%%• Loss%of%geneMc%diversity%• Increased%pests%– Massive%energy%and%water%inputs%– PesMcides%– FerMlizers%– Compacted%soils%What%this%means?%• What%we%eat%is%linked%to%the%environment%and%our%own%health%• Foods,%taste,%agricultural%pracMces%vary%culturally%overHMme%•
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