Agri-environmental Science and Technology

Question 1

Define green revolution

Answer 1

A revolution aiming to create a high-yielding crop by increasing chemical inputs, farm mechanization and irrigation technologies

Question 2

Explain the consequences of the green revolution

Answer 2

Loss of biodiversity, depletion of resources, dependency on external inputs, loss of nutrients to the environment, and social equities

Question 3

Explain GMOs

Answer 3

Selecting plants based on desired traits and breeding them. ie. resiliency to pests or herbicides

Question 4

Examples of “controlled environment agriculture”

Answer 4

Vertical farming, recirculating aquaculture systems, and horizontal greenhouses

Question 5

Explain smart farming

Answer 5

GPS, sensors, drones and data analytics to optimize field-level management

Question 6

Agricultural research on soil

Answer 6

Health and quality - measure microbial communities, pH, organic matter, and soil fertility (nutrients)

Question 7

Agricultural research on water

Answer 7

Quality and quantity - measure nitrogen and phosphorus levels

Question 8

Agricultural research on the climate

Answer 8

Greenhouse gas emissions - measure carbon levels in soil, and N2O and CH4 emissions

Question 9

Agricultural research on biodiversity

Answer 9

Looks at the composition and abundance of species in agricultural areas