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What you should know by the end of this lesson:
What you should know by the end of this lesson:
What is Diversification in India?
What is Genetic Modification?
How will both of these affect the Rural Landscape in India
Diversification
Diversification
As we saw in lesson 2, technology has led to changes on the many farms across India. Not all of the farming changes are down to simply technology however. Farmers have been changing from their old traditional way of life to newer ways of farming. This is called diversification
Key Term
Key Term
Diversification: The process of a business enlarging or varying its range of products or field of operation.
Diversification is having a large change on the landscape as farmers move away from an organic subsistence form of farming to a much more financially rewarding commercial farming.
Digital Workbook or paper Jotter Task
Copy the key term diversification from above.
Look at the table below of different diversifications which have occurred in Kerala, India. These will change depending on your device
Match them up (look at the colours)
Copy the table into your notes for why Rural farms have diversified.
Diversification
Subsistence to Commercial Farming
Reduction in organic farming
Change to selling high priced cash crops e.g., Vegetables & Flowers
Less rice is being grown
Why have they changed?
Improved road infrastructure has seen more properly surfaced roads throughout Kerala. This means farmers can transport their goods further easily seeking for a good price for their products.
Traditional farming methods were mostly organic as there was no alternative. The increase in the availability of agrochemicals for increase crop yields is now taking over. More crop yields = more crops to sell
There are several reasons for this change:
Better technology to reliably grow these such as greenhouses.
Increased wealth in Kerala to pay more for food.
Increased tourism in Kerala means more hotels are buying flowers & food for guests.
Rice can be imported very cheaply, this can undercut the price any Indian farmer can sell it for. This keeps prices low making it too costly to grow.
Rice requires a lot of manual labour and a lot of agrochemicals to grow successfully.
Genetic Modification
Genetic Modification
The origins of Genetic Modification
Plants and animals have always been cross-bred to improve certain qualities.
This has allowed farmers to grow sturdier and larger plants that produce bigger yields.
Of course, this selective breeding will take several generations to have the desired effect and therefore takes a long time.
GM or “Genetically Modified” crops use scientific approaches to alter crops like wheat and rice to grow faster and larger.
This usually involves the transfer of genes from one plant, or animal, into another. Often in a way that is not naturally possible.
Watch the video & answer the Quick Questions
What does GM Involve?
What have farmers been doing for 10 000 years?
What are the benefits of GM Crops?
What is the one "Known risk" humans face?
Check your answers
Check your answers
Isolating genes, moving them or turning them off
Creating new plants by unnatural pollination and selective breeding
They are not susceptible to disease, can be stronger and more efficient and produce bigger yields
Death from starvation
Genetic Modification is a highly controversial and contested aspect of science. There are lots of arguments for & against GM crops.
Digital Workbook or paper Jotter Task
Watch the video "Are GMOs Good or Bad?"
Read the arguments for & against below.
Finish the 2 sentences below with at least 2 different points for each:
Genetically modified crops are good for farmers in Kerala because...
Genetically modified crops are bad for farmers in Kerala because...
The argument for GM Crops
The argument for GM Crops
Crops can be engineered to give health benefits. ‘Golden Rice’ has been engineered to contain large quantities of vitamin A.
Better crops are needed to feed the world’s rapidly growing population.
GM crops can be made that don’t need as much water or fertilizer, so droughts would no longer cause famine.
Crops can be engineered to last longer after harvesting, so less food will be wasted.
GM crops are more resistant to insects and diseases, so farmers won’t need to use as much insecticide.
The argument against GM Crops
The argument against GM Crops
GM crops could spread uncontrolled through cross-pollination. Wild plants and non-GM crops could be pollinated by nearby GM crops.
We can’t predict what effects GM crops could have on human health
Bio-tech businesses would control agriculture. They can make plants that produce barren seeds, forcing farmers to buy new seeds every year.
GM crops are resistant to herbicides, so stronger weed-killers can be used – this could wipe out many wild plants.
We don’t need GM. There’s enough food in the world for everyone, it’s just that many people can’t afford to buy it.
Lesson Complete
Lesson Complete
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