Download Meeting The Need for Food and Fibre

Meeting The Need for
Food and Fibre
 Canada is a major world producer of food and fibre
 We grow far more than we consume, so we export
our surplus to other countries
 We are also world leaders in agricultural science
 Scientists are working towards a goal of
sustainability – growing food and fibre while
keeping our natural systems healthy for the long
term
Alberta
 Agriculture is a relatively new industry in Alberta
 It wasn’t until the railroad brought settlers west in
the late 1800s and early 1900s, that agriculture
became widespread
 It took only about 30 years for settlers to plough
under native grasslands that had been around for
1000’s of years
 Of the 60 million hectares of land area in Alberta,
over 20 million is now dedicated farmland
Alberta
 Alberta farmers produce crops worth almost three
billion dollars
 The food industry is second only to oil and natural
gas in terms of earnings
 Wheat, canola, barley, and oats are grown for their
seeds and are sold mainly to other countries
 Other crops include legumes (field peas, faba beans,
lentils), potatoes, alfalfa, field corn, sugar beets,
sunflowers and spices
Farming
 Many crops are grown in greenhouses (cucumbers,
tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, house plants, and cut
flowers)
 In order to make money, farmers must produce
large amounts of crops
 They do this by using large machinery, fertilizing the
soil and also by irrigating, or watering their crops
 Most farmers grow their crops as a monoculture,
only one type of crop per field
Changing Technology
 Changes in technology include:
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Using cultivators to prepare and fertilize soil
Special chemicals used to control fungi
Air seeders and seed drills used to plant seeds
Herbicides and pesticides sprayed on crops
Swathers used to cut hay
Combines used to harvest grain and separate seeds
Other large machinery like trucks and ploughs
Fibre Plants and Forestry
 Trees cover 4.5 million square kilometres of land in
Canada – an area larger than western and eastern
Europe combined
 Canada has about 10% of Earth’s forests
 Wood fibre industry employs over 800 000
Canadians
 Forests have many different trees, plants, animals,
etc (not ECT) – known as diversity
Trees in Alberta
 Tree species in Alberta include:
 Lodgepole Pine
 White Spruce
 Black Spruce
 Aspen
 White Birch
 Tamarack (Larch)
- Other species in Canada include: Red Oak, Western Red
Cedar, Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Maple,
Trembling Aspen
Forest Products
 The forest can produce many things for humans
 These include:
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Lumber
Pulp and paper
Veneer and plywood
Sash, doors, shingles, other millwork
Other paper products – asphalt roofing, cartons,
boxes, paper bags, etc (not ECT.)
 Prefabricated buildings, cabinets, boxes, particleboard,
MDF, chipboard, etc (not ECT)
Harvesting Trees
 Steps involved in harvesting trees:
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Planning the cut (based on a review of the site)
Building a road to the area
Felling and de-limbing the trees
Dragging or “skidding” trees to a central area
Hauling the logs to a saw mill or pulp mill
Preparing the site for reforestation (scarification)
Reforestation (reseeding and replanting) – BEWARE of
bears!!!!!
Global Problems
 One of the most serious problems worldwide is soil
erosion (blown away by wind and water)
 North Africa used to once be extremely fertile –
frequent and long-lasting droughts have resulted in
desertification
 Where vegetation has been removed in Brazil and
West Africa, soils have become hard and useless for
crops
 In some areas of Europe and USA, high levels of
agricultural chemicals have caused pollution