SVN3M - Food
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE and FOOD PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
What is sustainable agriculture? Environmental Science, an introductory course book for
environmental sciences, gives three criteria for sustainable agriculture:
1. It must feed the world's hungry today.
2. It must feed the world's hungry tomorrow.
3. It must prevent deterioration of soil & water.
This sounds good, but how is this to be achieved? People are not only concerned about having enough
food but also many other factors as well. Agricultural systems have to not only produce crops, but
they must also produce food that is safe to eat and affordable, minimize ecological impacts, compete
with other land uses, work within changing political & economic climates, and create products
consumers are willing to buy.
Establishing a truly sustainable agricultural system within this framework is a very difficult task. Farmers
must choose individually for themselves what methods are best for their own situation. Farmers must
worry about maintaining soil fertility, stopping soil erosion, avoiding soil compaction, protecting
their crops from pests, using adequate amounts of water, working within political systems, making
a liveable wage, and creating a product that is safe to eat.
FOOD UNIT PROJECT OUTLINE
This project is your final assignment of the year (not including your culminating activity and your final
exam). Each student will create a PowerPoint presentation. The target audience will be fellow students.
Requirements:
Each presentation must be a minimum of 10 slides, including one title slide and one slide
containing proper references.
At least two charts, tables, or other forms of data must be included.
The design template (font size, background colour and graphics) should be consistent throughout
the presentation.
You will do research on your topic of choice and must make connections with at least 3 of the
previous units in the course (sustainability, water, waste management, and energy). Your
PowerPoint presentation should be a summary of your research.
The Power Point presentation is due on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. It must be saved in the
SVN3M class directory in the Student Share drive (Student Share Science SVN3M
Food Day1Period1), with a file name in this format: firstname_lastname_TopicTitle.ppt. (e.g.
Brian _Lim_Vegetarianism.ppt).
There will be no formal oral presentation, but you should be present in class on June 15 and
June 17 to participate in class discussion of your presentation and those of your classmates.
Work periods: May 19, 25, June 1.
This is a science presentation. You are expected to use other scientists’ research and give them credit for
their ideas on the references page. You are expected to look for credible sources for your facts. While
Wikipedia can be a good starting point, do NOT use it as your primary source. Use web sites with .org,
.edu, .gc.ca, .gov.on.ca and try to use Canadian sources.
Plagiarism is unacceptable and you will receive a mark of zero with no opportunity to redo the
assignment.
SVN3M - Food
FOOD and AGRICULTURE
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION EVALUATION
Name: ____________________________ Topic: ___________________________
DESCRIPTION MARKS
DELIVERY At least 10 slides in final presentation (incl. title, ref.) 012
Presentation stored in proper file folder in the Student Share
directory
RESEARCH and 2 resources summarized after second class 012345
WORK PROGRESS Presentation draft stored in proper file folder in the Student
Share directory after 2nd and 3rd classes
On-task, prepared for work
INTRODUCTION Topic introduced 012
Terms defined in an informative way
Presentation starts with attention grabbing info
BODY New terms explained, concepts presented in logical order 0 2 4 6 8 10 15
Factual data included: who, what, where, when, why, how?
Opinions supported by data;
Clear connections between your topic and at least 3 other
units in the course: sustainability, water, waste, energy
CONCLUSION Clear, concise summary of presentation 012
PRESENTATION Consistent design template used throughout (i.e. font, font 012345
VISUALS size, background design)
Title page: name, topic, teacher’s name
Two relevant charts or tables are effectively related to
presentation content
Other graphics are effectively related to presentation content
Special Powerpoint features (only if content well done)
WRITING SKILLS Correct spelling, grammar 012345
Formal point form writing style used
REFERENCES At least 2 reputable references used, not Wikipedia, listed 01234
in alphabetical order
Correct formatting rules followed
TOTAL /40
SVN3M - Food
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE TOPICS
1. Agribusiness Farming – is large-scale farming better than family farms?
2. Certified Organic Farming – Can it feed Ontario?
3. Should raising meat be banned?
4. Is the Canada Food Guide useful for vegetarians?
5. Should patenting seeds be made illegal?
6. Roundup Ready genetically modified corn – better for farmers, consumers or
agribusiness?
7. Percy Schmeiser’s battle against Monsanto over Roundup Ready canola – who was right?
8. Has the “Green Revolution” been successful?
9. What do food labelling regulations cover?
10. How are Genetically Modified Foods (or genetically engineered food) created? Will they
help solve world hunger?
11. Fertilizers – which is better, commercially produced or naturally produced?
12. Can fair trade provide a living wage to subsistence coffee farmers?
13. Is pesticide-sprayed food better for us because of increased productivity?
14. Food Banks – Is poverty the biggest barrier to a healthy diet in Toronto?
15. Is farmed salmon better to consume than wild salmon?
16. Do the United Nations Food and Agriculture (UN FAO) programs actually increase
hunger by decreasing local food production?
17. Eat locally - Is the 100 Mile Diet possible for Ontarians?
18. How can Ontario farmland be protected from urban sprawl?
19. What are terminator genes in foods?
20. Seed banks – can they save Canadian heritage seeds?
21. Is growing crops (e.g. corn) for biofuel production leaving poor people hungry?
22. Food additives – do they improve health more than they harm health?
23. Why is a vegetarian diet more sustainable than a meat based diet?
24. Food or agriculture topic of your choice (must be approved by teacher)