Global+Food+Systems

Your challenge is to become intamately familiar with two contrasting food production systems. These systems can be whatever you choose but must be "comparable." A possible "way in" is to think of a food comodity: say cereal grains, or beef and research to find two very different ways of growing this comodity.

The **result** will be a __wiki page__ that contains the fruits of your researcha and a __summary product__ which can be an embeded slideshow with images and your narration, or a paper poster (similar to the Topic 7 one) which illustrate the differences between the systems. **Due: Tuesday 3-17**

Research must focus on (for each system):
 * System components: Inputs, Outputs of materials and energy; System Characteristics (include a systems diagram)
 * Environmental impacts
 * Socio-cultural significance

Please link to your wiki page from here:
 * **Group members**.................................................................. || **Research question**

(example: A comparison of commercial salmon farming to Inuit subsistence fishing in Alaska)
|| (**Rice Fish Farming in China vs. Ocean Trolling in Oregon ) ** ||
 * Ching, Ben, Andrea || [[file:Corn Systems_US and China.ppt]] Commercial maize farming in the United States compared to subsistence farming in China. ||
 * Scott, Mandy, Karoliina || Coffee ||
 * Jack, David, Sarah || Truffles ||
 * Linda, Liza, Lil || Rice ||
 * Paige, Angela, Frankie || Free-range cattle VS feedlot-raised cattle ||
 * Jordan, Em, Bernice || Farmed seafood VS ocean-caught
 * Bilal, Charles, Jun Ho || Soy ||

Syllabus Details: The systems selected should be both terrestrial or both aquatic. In addition, the inputs and outputs of the two systems should differ qualitatively and quantitatively (not all systems will be different in all aspects). The pair of examples could be North American cereal farming and subsistence farming in some parts of South‑East Asia, intensive beef production in the developed world and the Maasai tribal use of livestock, or commercial salmon farming in Norway/Scotland and rice‑fish farming in Thailand. Other local or global examples are equally valid. Factors to be considered should include:
 * inputs—for example, fertilizers (artificial and natural), irrigation water, pesticides, fossil fuels, food distribution, human labour, seed, breeding stock
 * system characteristics—for example, selective breeding, genetically engineered organisms, monoculture versus polyculture, sustainability
 * socio‑cultural—for example, for the Maasai, cattle equals wealth and quantity is more important than quality
 * environmental impact—for example, pollution, habitat loss, reduction in biodiversity, soil erosion
 * outputs—for example, food quality and quantity, pollutants, soil erosion.