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Hum110 wake tech week11 food and farming b 3
- 1. Population and Farming Methods
- 2. Irrigation
Editor's Notes
- Slash and burn agriculture might support 150/acre (500-1000 hours per harvest) sedentary farming increases productivity fourteen times the earlier method. 20th century China has in some cases been able to sustain 6000 people per acre of land. Food and History Jonathan Swift in "A Modest Proposal" satirically suggests that the Irish fatten their children to sell them as food to the British, Thomas Malthus predicts the end of civilization through over-population. An Essay on the Principle of Population 1798. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934666.html The Great Potato Famine of 1848 reduces the population of Ireland by starvation and emigration from 48m to 8m. http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Science--Technology--and-Society/
- Also consider the possibilities of artificial irrigation. Egypt was the master of the Western world. Its greatness is based on the fertile Nile and natural irrigation. Climatic changes "drain" Egypt’s political power. Irrigation may be the single greatest factor in eliminating the capricious power of the Nile. Saudi Arabia entered into the farm-buying initiative we discussed earlier after irrigating the desert proved too expensive. Volti reports that in SE Asia transplanted rice in irrigated fields may require 300 person days of work on average. {also consider the cultural perspectives on water between Anglo and Spanish traditions}
- The American Civil War leads to the production of canned foods It is not possible to track the productivity of farming by relating it directly to the introduction of technology. The spread of McCormack’s reaper defies analysis. However, what is clear is that the creation of larger farms is enabled by machinery. It is also accelerated by wars which occur during the time when the technology is being introduced affecting the farming labor force. Family-sized farms begin to disappear after WW2 and are replaced by Corporate farms made efficient through the use of insecticides, machinery and even satellite Global Positioning Systems for programming and planting mammoth fields. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soil analysis for crop optimization is costly and time consuming. By identifying electromagnetic radiation via satellite, one of fifty formulas for soil treatment can be prescribed. The cost is about $15 per hectare per year. Production increases are sometimes as high as 10%. “ Harvest Moon: Artificial Satellites Are Helping Farmers Boost Crop Yields.” The Economist. 07 November 2009. 73. If aerospace technology can be applied to farming, why not nanotechnology? Carbon nanotubes can cause seeds to germinate faster and grow longer. They can penetrate the hard seed casing where natural nutrients cannot. There is also some possible danger from the nanotubes. If they become common enough, they could harm animals and humans who consume the foods produced. “ Seeding the Seeds.” The Economist. 07 November 2009. 74-5.