1. What’s for Lunch? Martha B. Sharma APHG Workshop NCGE – Lake Tahoe, NV October 6-7, 2006 www.rettew.com

2. V. Agricultural and Rural Land Use Development and diffusion of agriculture Major agricultural production regions Rural land use and settlement patterns Modern commercial agriculture

3. Importance of Agriculture All humans depend on agriculture for food Urban-industrial societies depend on the base of food surplus generated by farmers and herders Without agriculture there could be no cities, universities, factories, or offices Today agriculture remains the most important economic activity in the world Agriculture employs 45 percent of the working population In some parts of Asia and Africa, over 80 percent of the labor force is engaged in agriculture

4. Agricultural Revolutions Agriculture has passed through a series of revolutionary changes Not everywhere at the same time Some places still largely unaffected Transition from predominantly subsistence activity to predominantly capital-intensive, market-oriented commercial agriculture Three distinct revolutions

5. First Agricultural Revolution ~12,000 year ago Replaced hunting and gathering Involved plant and animal domestication Emergence of seed agriculture (wheat, rice) Use of the plow Use of draft animals Modest population increase and outmigration

6. Second Agricultural Revolution Late Middle Ages Occurred in tandem with Industrial Revolution End of feudal landholding system Enclosure of individually owned fields Emergence of urban industrial markets Modification of subsistence farming practices Crop rotation Use of natural and semi-processed fertilizers New tools and equipment Dramatic increase in crop and livestock yields Transportation technology linking farm and urban commercial food market

7. Third Agricultural Revolution Origins in North America Industrialization of agriculture Mechanization Replacement of human labor with machines Chemical farming Use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides Food manufacturing Addition of economic value through processing, canning, refining, packaging Green Revolution Plant breeding Biotechnology Genetic manipulation

8. Traditional breeding involves exchanging all genetic material between two related plants. Genetic engineering usually only involves moving one or two genes and can cross the species barrier. Desired gene Traditional plant breeding DNA is a strand of genes, much like a strand of pearls. Traditional plant breeding combines many genes at once. Traditional donor Commercial variety New variety Desired Gene X = (crosses) (many genes are transferred) Plant biotechnology Using plant biotechnology, a single gene may be added to the strand. Desired gene Commercial variety New variety (transfers) = Desired gene (only desired gene is transferred)

9. Protests at WTO Meetings

10. Biotechnology Manipulation and management of biological organisms Recombinant DNA techniques Tissue culture (cloning) Cell fusion Embryo transfer Positive: high yielding, disease resistant “super” plants Negative: periphery excluded by distance and cost + concerns about safety

12. Increase in Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S. Source: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/BiotechCrops/

13. More than 50 biotech food products have been approved for commercial use in the United States Canola Corn Cotton Papaya Potato Soybeans Squash Sugarbeets Sweet corn Tomato

14. Four crops accounted for nearly all of the global biotech crop area in 2002 Source: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications

15. Four countries accounted for 99 percent* of the global biotech crop area in 2002 *Australia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain and Uruguay accounted for the remaining 1 percent of biotech crop acres. Source: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications

16. Some Benefits of Genetically Modified Foods

17. Some Concerns about Genetically Modified Foods Possible adverse effects on human health Introduction of new allergens Antibiotic-resistant genes in foods Production of new toxins Concentration of toxic metals Enhancement of toxic fungi Environmental impacts Dangers not yet identified http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/

18. Bringing It Into The Classroom “Harvest of Fear” A Learning Activity

19. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/

20. Harvest of Fear -- Synopsis In "Harvest of Fear," FRONTLINE and NOVA explore the intensifying debate over genetically- modified (gm) food crops. Interviewing scientists, farmers, biotech and food industry representatives, government regulators, and critics of biotechnology, this two-hour report presents both sides of the debate, exploring the risks and benefits, the hopes and fears, of this new technology. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/

21. Eight Main Themes GM foods: pros and cons Pests, pesticides, GM capabilities Conflicts with mixed crops Pesticide resistance Attitudes toward GM foods Intellectual property rights and GM foods Organic farming Green Revolution

22. Using the Class Activity Student resources provided: Page 1 – Viewing Guide Main Themes in the video Important terms (21) used in the video Questions to consider while watching the video Page 2 – Taking a Position Questions (6) to guide development of a position statement Selected web sites to begin research

23. FOR AGAINST