ESS Topic 5 - Food Resources

Assignment

Case Study of a Food Production System

From the Guide (IB ESS Guide 2015)

• The sustainability of terrestrial food production systems is influenced by factors such as

scale; industrialization; mechanization; fossil fuel use; seed, crop and livestock choices; water
use; fertilizers; pest control; pollinators; antibiotics; legislation; and levels of commercial
versus subsistence food production.
• Terrestrial food production systems can be compared and contrasted according to inputs,
outputs, system characteristics, environmental impact and socioeconomic factors.

Guidance:

• Possible examples for contrasting terrestrial food production systems include North American
cereal farming and subsistence farming in Southeast Asia, or intensive beef production in
South America and the Maasai tribal use of livestock. These examples are not meant to be
prescriptive and appropriate local examples are also encouraged.
• Factors to be used in comparing and contrasting food production systems include:
o inputs, such as fertilizers (artificial or organic); water (irrigation or rainfall); pest control
(pesticides or natural predators); labour (mechanized and fossilfuel dependent or
physical labour); seed (genetically modified organisms—GMOs—or conventional);
breeding stock (domestic or wild); livestock growth promoters (antibiotics or hormones
versus organic or none)
o outputs, such as food quality, food quantity, pollutants (air, soil, water), consumer health,
soil quality (erosion, degradation, fertility); common pollutants released from food
production systems include fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, antibiotics, hormones and
gases from the use of fossil fuels; transportation, processing and packaging of food may
also lead to further pollution from fossil fuels
o system characteristics, such as diversity (monoculture versus polyculture); sustainability;
indigenous versus introduced crop species
o environmental impacts, such as pollution (air, soil, water); habitat loss; biodiversity loss;
soil erosion or degradation; desertification; disease
ESS Topic 5 - Food Resources
Assignment

Task: Produce a case study of a terrestrial food production system which

can be contrasted with a case study of Intensive corn production in Iowa.
This will be presented as a powerpoint/google slides presentation. See the
rubric at the end of this document and the farming system that you are to
contrast with Iowa Corn.
Example of a systems diagram of a food production system:

There is also an example in the Canadian Prairie Case study (similar to Iowa Corn production)

Sources for Iowa Corn production:

Watch: King Corn – on YouTube also may be on Netflix – I can only find it subtitled into Spanish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywJOKF445Go

Watch: Food Inc - on YouTube also on Netflix – to buy or rent. I have a DVD copy in school!

This video is about Growing corn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWzbE8qqEzk

And this one is the Iowa Corn Harvest: Life of a Farmer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec4oThf-Trk

and finally Farming with Nature: Living with the Land Part 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hED5xmMrWdM
ESS Topic 5 - Food Resources
Assignment

THE DETAIL: Compare and Contrast two different food production systems

1) System Characteristics - describe the location of the food production system and an overview of
how the food production system works. Include any information on the use of selective breeding,
genetically engineered organisms, monocultures versus polyculture, and sustainability.

2) Outline the inputs into the systems - these could include fertilizers (artificial and natural), irrigation
water, pesticides, fossil fuels, food distribution, human labour, seed, breeding stock

3) Outline the outputs from the systems - these could include food quality and quantity, pollutants,
soil erosion

4) Create a system diagram for both food production systems (see image above).

5) Discuss the socio‑cultural aspects of the food production system, for example for the Maasai,
cattle equals wealth and quantity is more important than quality

6) Evaluate the environmental impact of the food production systems, for example, pollution,
habitat loss, reduction in biodiversity, soil erosion

7) Contrast and compare your case studies

8) You must keep in-text references and a bibliography in CSE format. The rubric for this assignment
is on the reverse of the sheet.

9) You will be assigned one of these farming systems below to contrast with the intensive corn
production in Iowa.

Name Contrasting Method of Agriculture

Alyssa Nomadic herding in the Maasai Mara
Leah Extensive cattle farming in East Africa
Emma Subsistence Farming in South India (inc. paddy fields)
Sofia Rice-fish farming in China
Viv Slash and Burn subsistence farming in Peru
Ali The Dogon farming practices in West Africa
Yo Pokkali Farming in Coastal Kerala, India
Tala Cuban Polyculture
Sedeer Subsistence farming on Rote, an island in Indonesia
Nour Burma’s floating Islands
Carl Greenhouse farming in the Netherlands
Sander Alpine farming in Switzerland (transhumance)
Bolu Sheep farming in Australia
Nasser Indigenous shifting cultivator farmers in the Amazonian rainforest
ESS Topic 5 - Food Resources
Assignment

Marking Rubric

Objectives Presentation Knowledge & Evaluation Originality and Citations:

To clearly display the To show a thorough knowledge of a food production To convey the information
information, using simple system. Be able to clearly identify the inputs and outputs gathered in own words, citing
but interesting and of the system, evaluate the socio-economic influences on sources with footnotes when
informative visuals. the system and the environmental impact of the system. necessary.
Provide a thoughtful contrast of this system with one other
system.

An excellent knowledge of of a food production system.

The information is Clearly identifies all or most of the inputs and outputs of
The majority of the
displayed in a simple, the system. Provides an excellent evaluation of the socio-
information is in own words,
7 extremely interesting economic influences on the system and the
all sources are cited with
and very informative environmental impact of the system. Provides an
footnotes when necessary.
manner. excellent thoughtful contrast of this system with one
other system.

The information is
A very good knowledge of of a food production system.
displayed in an overly
Clearly identifies most of the inputs and outputs of the Some of the information is in
simple or slightly
system. Provides a very good evaluation of the socio- own words, some sources are
6-5 complex manner, with a
economic influences on the system and the cited with some footnotes
very interesting and
environmental impact of the system. Provides a very good when necessary.
quite informative
thoughtful contrast of this system with one other system.
manner.

The information is
A good knowledge of of a food production system. Clearly
displayed in a very
identifies some of the inputs and outputs of the system. Little of the information is in
simple or very complex
Provides a good evaluation of the socio-economic own words, few sources are
5-4 manner, with a quite
influences on the system and the environmental impact of cited with few footnotes
interesting and
the system. Provides a good thoughtful contrast of this when necessary.
somewhat informative
system with one other system.
manner.

The information is
A moderate knowledge of of a food production system.
displayed in an
Clearly identifies few of the inputs and outputs of the Very little of the information
extremely simple or
system. Provides a moderate evaluation of the socio- is in own words, virtually no
3 extremely complex
economic influences on the system and the sources are cited with no
manner, with a slightly
environmental impact of the system. Provides a moderate footnotes when necessary.
interesting and slightly
thoughtful contrast of this system with one other system.
informative manner.

1-2 None of the above None of the above None of the above