Making Connections

The connection:When malnutrition affects many people, it is

called a famine. Taking it further:

Both terms deal with lack of nutrition.Malnutrition can affect an individual.Famine affects a large population.

The connection:There are 1,000 calories in 1 Calorie.

Taking it further:We measure the energy in food in calories.A calorie is very small, so to avoid large

numbers, we refer to kilocalories as Calories.

The connection:A healthy diet includes the right mix of

nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Taking it further:

Nutrients include carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins and are part of your diet.

The connection:Efficiency measures energy and resources

consumed to produce a given yield. Taking it further:

Yield is the amount of food you harvest.Efficiency compares yield to how much

effort, water, land, and other resources were used.

The connection:Most subsistence farmers live in poverty.

Taking it further:Subsistence farmers grow enough food to

continue to manage to survive or subsist. If they are lucky, they may have some left

to sell.They are usually very poor or live in

poverty.

The connection:Urban land is expanding into arable land.

Taking it further:Arable land is the 10% of earth’s surface

that is useable for growing crops (farmland).

Urban land is the 3% of earth’s land surface with large human populations (cities).

Arable land is being destroyed by urb.an land

The connection:While traditional farming relied heavily on

man and animal power, modern farming methods rely on fossil fuels and chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Taking it further:Traditional refers to older farming methods.Modern refers to current methods used

today.

The connection:Land degradation occurs where land has

been irresponsibly farmed. Taking it further:

If topsoil is not managed properly, it can be lost through erosion, degrading (damaging) the land.

The connection:Contour plowing and no-till farming are both

methods of soil conservation. Taking it further:

Contour plowing uses the shape of the land to minimize damage.

No till farming does not turn over the soil.

The connection:Compost is a type of fertilizer.

Taking it further:Compost is partially decomposed organic

material and a great source of nutrients for plants.

The connection:Pesticides are chemicals that kill pests.

Taking it further:Pesticides are not the only method of pest

control.

The connection:Persistent chemicals can damage human

health for a long time. Taking it further:

Persistence is a characteristic of chemicals that break down slowly such as Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT).

The connection:X-rays and pheromones are both methods

of disrupting insect breeding. Taking it further:

X-rays are radiation used to sterilize insects, making them unable to breed.

Pheromones are chemicals that confuse insects and cause them to attempt to breed at the wrong time.

The connection:No fishing zones are an attempt to recover

from the damage done by overharvesting Taking it further:

Overharvesting is removing organisms faster than they can replenish their numbers.

No fishing zones are areas designed to let the populations recover.

The connection:Aquaculture often drains the water from

local wetlands. Taking it further:

Aquaculture is raising aquatic organisms for human use.

It requires large amounts of fresh water and produces a lot of waste.

The connection:Masai herders and Hindus both use cows for

milk. Taking it further:

Cows are used differently throughout the world.

Hindus view cattle as sacred and only use the for milk and dung for fuel.

Traditional Maasai herders drink the milk and blood of their cows.