MODULE 03

PEOPLE AND AGRICULTURE

OVERVIEW:
Agriculture is the science of cultivating crops and livestock. Agriculture contributed
significantly to the rise of human civilization. It created food surpluses that enabled people
to live in cities.

Medicinal plants are plants that can be used to treat different illnesses, or boost health.

OBJECTIVES:

After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. Enumerate the different processes and uses of agriculture.

2. Examine the environmental impacts of agriculture and find ways to mitigate its
effects.

3. Identify common medicinal plants and their uses; and

4. Reflect how to exercise caution in selecting and using medicinal plants.

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture
Agriculture is raising of animals and/or growing of crops to acquire food for
consumption or distribution.

Initially, early humans tried to survive through hunting and gathering. As the human
population grew bigger, it became harder to sustain. This is because of the following
reasons:

1. Land use was extensive and not intensive.

2. There were no real permanent settlements; and
3. Unpredictable and hard.

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Agricultural Revolutions
First Agricultural Revolution

The first agricultural revolution allowed humans to become more sedentary and
avail themselves of a more reliable source of food. They tamed wild animals for human
benefit and focused on ssubsistence aagriculture.

Second Agricultural Revolution

This occurred during Industrial Revolution. It made use of technology as a means to

increase production and distribution of products. Agriculture has shifted from mere family
consumption to commercial agriculture.

Third Agricultural Revolution

This is sometimes called “Green Revolution” and it happened in the later half of the
20th century. It corresponded with exponential population growth occurring around the
world and it involved the use of biotechnology (genetic engineering).

• Double Cropping - growing two crops per year to double the harvest
• Tripple Cropping - allows even more people to be fed

Variations of Farming

• Subsistence Farming - food production to survive on a daily basis

o Extensive Subsistence Agriculture - includes pastoral nomadism and
shifting cultivation. It needs a lot of land, therefore extensive. This kind of
agriculture is productive, but its drawbacks include possible soil erosion,
water degradation, and other environmental problems.
o Intensive Subsistence Agriculture - more intense style of subsistence
farming. It needs more work than extensive subsistence agriculture to have
the same level of production to the latter. This is usually done in areas that
it is harder to continue to farm.
• Shifting Cultivation - moving farm fields after several years in search of more
productive soil after depleting nutrients in original field
• Slash and Burn agriculture - leaves barren soil behind and moves on to the next
area and clears it by burning, this puts nitrogen in soil

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 • Crop Rotation - planting of different types of crops each year to replenish the soil
with nutrients used up by previous crop
• Pastoral Nomadism - moving animals on a seasonal basis to areas that have the
necessary resources to meet the needs of the herd

Plantation Agriculture

This is more prevalent in less developed countries. The production of one crop is
sold to more developed countries.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
Animal husbandry refers to the breeding and raising of animals for meat, milk, eggs,
or wool, and for work and transport. Livestock production systems can be defined based
on feed source, as grassland-based, mixed, and landless.

Under animal husbandry is aquaculture or fish farming. It is the production of fish

for human consumption in confined operations.

During the second half of the 20th century, producers using selective breeding
focused on creating livestock breeds and crossbreeds that increased production and
mostly disregarded genetic diversity. This eventually led to a significant decrease in genetic
diversity and resources among livestock breeds, consequently, there is a decrease in
disease resistance and local adaptations.

Found in More Developed Countries

o Mixed Livestock and Crop Production - cows are grown for meat and other
products. Cows are fed with crops (corn and soybeans) grown on the same
farm.
o Livestock Ranching - done on the fringes of productive farmland, so it
requires huge areas of land (like the Midwest). It involves the feeding of
livestock done by allowing animals to roam fields without assistance of
farmer. “Put animals to pasture”.

Types of Commercial Farming

o Truck Farms - farm where farmers produce fruits for market. Farmers will bring in
produce to City Market on the weekends. Sales will take place there, but the farm
is somewhere else.
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 o Suitcase Farms - no one resides there permanently; mostly staffed by migrant
workers
o Agribusiness - mass production of agricultural products
o Agricultural industrialization - increased mechanization of the farming process to
increase productivity and profits (started to occur during the Industrial Revolution)

Von Thünen’s Model of Land Use

This was conceived by Johann Heinrich von Thünen. Farmers will choose what crops
are grown in direct relation to how far the farm is from the market. In order of distance
(closest farms up first):

1. Market-Gardening Activities - various heavy, bulky products (melons, veggies) – need

to be close to market because they will spoil, and it costs too much to transport

2. Dairy Farming - produced close to market, cost of transportation for cooling

3. Livestock Farming

a) Fattening adds weight to animals and farmers do this to increase sale price.

b) Feedlots specialize in cattle or hogs—these animals are not put to pasture.

4. Commercial Grain Farming - selling of wheat, corn, millet, other grains

a) Combines - separate seed from shaft of plant

b) Food chain - grain sent to market in trailers, sold to producer who makes product
(bread), product sold to wholesaler, sells to grocery store, individuals can buy it

5. Livestock Ranching - uses most land per farm of any other zones

6. Nonagricultural Land Use - isn’t really a zone of agriculture because distance to market
is so far that farmer cannot productively or profitably sell his goods

Environmental Impact

Effects and costs

Agriculture asserts external costs on society through effects such as pesticide
damage to nature (particularly herbicides and insecticides), nutrient runoff, immoderate

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water usage, and loss of natural environment. Agriculture’s aim is to increase yield and to
reduce costs. Yield increments with factors like fertilizers and removal of pathogens,
predators, and competitors (such as weeds). Costs decrease with growing scale of farm
units, like making large fields. While the use of pesticides seems beneficial to better crop
yield, this and other measures have decreased biodiversity on an intensively farmed land.
Current studies reveal that agriculture and food consumption are two of the most important
drivers of environmental pressures, particularly habitat change, climate change, water use
and toxic discharges.

Livestock issues
Livestock production engages 70% of all land used for agriculture, or 30% of the land
surface of the planet. It is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases. It has been cited
that livestock expansion is a key factor driving deforestation. An example would be that
about 70% of the previously forested area of the Amazon basin is currently occupied by
pastures, while the remainder is used for feed crops. Deforestation and land degradation
for livestock has caused reductions in biodiversity.

Land and water issues

Land transformation is the use of land to yield goods and services. It severely alters
the Earth's ecosystems and is blamed for the loss of biodiversity. This land transformation
has led to rise in Zoonotic disease like the Coronavirus disease 2019 because it degrades
natural buffers between humans and animals, reduces biodiversity, and creates big groups
of animals that share genetic similarities.

Inordinate fertilization and manure utilization to cropland, and high livestock stocking
densities cause nutrient (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) runoff and leaching from
agricultural land. These substances are major nonpoint pollutants that contributes to
eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems and pollution of groundwater. Agriculture accounts
for 70% of withdrawals of freshwater resources. Utilization of water for agriculture can also
drive environmental problems like devastation of natural wetlands, the spread of water-
borne diseases, and land degradation by salinization and waterlogging, when irrigation is
executed poorly.

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ACTIVITY - PEOPLE AND AGRICULTURE: AGRICULTURE

Instructions: Write your answers on a separate piece of paper

E. Cite actual scenarios/examples from the Philippines that demonstrates variations of

farming techniques. You may provide pictures/drawings.

Variations of Farming:

1. Subsistence Farming -

2. Shifting Cultivation -

3. Slash and Burn agriculture -

4. Crop Rotation -

5. Pastoral Nomadism -

F. Cite actual scenarios/examples from the Philippines that tackled the environmental
impact of agriculture.

Environmental impact of agriculture:

1. Effects and costs -

2. Livestock issues -

3. Land and water issues -

G. Choose ONE of the questions below and explain within 100-150 words. Please do not
forget to COPY the question you have chosen.

1. Agriculture is greatly needed in order to keep food production and sustain living. It is
undeniable as well that it has greatly impacted the environment. How do you propose
to balance the human's need for food and protection of the environment?

2. Which of the following environmental impacts is most relevant to the Philippines?

3. With the module's discussion of agriculture as basis, how do you propose to help
Filipino farmers?

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FOOD AND MEDICINAL PLANTS

History of Herbal Medicine

The use of herbal medicine has been traced as far as 60,000 years. Primitive humans
remedied illnesses using plants, animal parts, and minerals that were not included in a
common diet. One burial site of a Neanderthal man was found buried with 8 species of
plants, suggesting that they might have been used for medicinal purpose.

Back in the 1970’s, people have rekindled their interest in herbal medicine when
modern medicine had become costly and it has an inability to cure everything. The
partisans who advocated for herbal medicine were enthusiastic rather than knowledgeable.
There were no regulating laws then and people had been claiming outrageous healing
abilities of herbal medicines, even without scientific basis.

At present time, FDA considers some herbal remedies to be worthless or potentially

dangerous. Should a herbal product be marketed, it must have FDA’s approval to make
specific health claims. This is not to undermine the importance of plants in medicine, but
rather to safeguard the consumers’ health and wealth.

Uses of Medicinal Plants

Physical

o treatment of sickness and disease

o Athletic and Weight-loss purposes

Mental

• treatment of memory loss, depression, sleep, and stress

Common Medicinal Plants

There are a few medicinal plants they are widely used and accepted by the public.
There are claims regarding the effectiveness of these supplements; the problem is

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determining which claims are true and which are false. Keep in mind that rigorous studies
have to be done in order to prove a medicinal plant’s effectiveness. Remember to exercise
caution and to consult a medical expert.

Aloe Vera

• Claims: “Cure all” tonic, for the treatment of acne, burns, minor wounds
• Effective for the topical treatment of wounds, burns, and frostbite
• Its effectiveness varies with product.
• Advised NOT for internal use.
• Possible side effects: could lead to abdominal cramping, diarrhea, loss of
potassium, discoloration of urine.

Garlic

• Claims: antibiotic, antiviral, general cure all, lowering of blood pressure, cholesterol,
and regulation of circulatory system
• shown to lower cholesterol by 9-12% in 8-16 weeks of use
• It is used in Europe as an approved remedy for cardiovascular conditions and for
the use of the flu and colds.
• Possible side effect: large doses may cause heartburn

Ginger

• Claims: treatment of Arthritis, heart tissue, motion sickness and nausea.

• It has been seen to be effective in nausea, motion sickness, and arthritis.
• It is possible that it treats heart tissue but not likely.
• Possible side effects: inhibition of the chemicals involved in platelet aggression, that
could lead to increased and prolonged bleeding

Peppermint

• Claims: muscle spasms, abdominal pain, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, chills
and nausea, convulsions, headaches
• It has only been observed to decrease muscle spasms.
• Possible side effects: Overuse can lead to heartburn, esophageal sphincter
relaxations, irritation of mucous membranes, and allergic reactions.

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Ginkgo Biloba

• Claims: improved memory, reduce Alzheimer’s effects, helps hearing loss, helps
depression
• helps calm asthma
• Ginkgo balboa extract increases blood flow to the brain by inhibiting blood platelet
accumulation and by regulating elasticity of blood vessel. It has also been shown to
better blood flow through major blood vessels and capillaries.
• Ginkgo biloba has been shown to be completely ineffective against memory loss,
hearing loss, depression, and asthma.
• Possible side effects: mild gastrointestinal upset, mild headaches

St. John’s Wort

• Claims: prevent depression, decrease stress levels, help nervous conditions,

decrease severity of bacterial infection
• Found in this plant is hyperforin. It is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and this
compound is suspected as having antidepressant effects.
• It has been studied to be mildly helpful in very mild to moderate cases of depression.
Its potency seems to decrease as the case gets more serious and in the worst cases
of depression, it can actually hurt the situation.
• Possible side effects: in cases of major depression, it may worsen the case; blurred
vision, constipation, urinary retention, and excessive drowsiness

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Exercise and Diet Supplements

Today, many people take herbal

supplements to help then in their
energy and weight loss. Magazines
and tabloids sometimes have ads for
herbal supplements, usually
accompanied by a man or woman
who has incredibly slim and toned
body. Despite claims of easy weight
loss, some experts have serious
doubts about the effectiveness of
these herbal remedies.

Common supplements:

• Exercise: Ginseng, Bell

pollen
• Weight Loss: Ephedra
Image 18. Advertisement claiming weight loss
Ginseng

• Most common form is Asian ginseng

• A perennial herb of northern China, Korea, Japan, and Russia
• Must be grown for 5 years before harvested and harvested in the fall just before
defoliation
• The root is the most widely used part
• It is suggested that ginseng increases cerebrovascular flow
• Dosage: Usual daily dose is 200mg

Effectiveness: In a 9-week, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of 30 highly trained

athletes, treatment with ginseng produced significant improvements in aerobic capacity.

There were negative results in an 8-week, double blind trial that followed 31 healthy men
in their twenties and another 8 week trial which showed that ginseng improved aerobic
capacity in people who did not exercise, but gave no additional benefit to those who did.

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Bee Pollen

• Referred to as nature’s most complete food

• Praised in the Bible and ancient Chinese texts
• Bee pollen is the male seed of a flower blossom which has been gathered by the
bees and to which special elements from the bees has been added. The honeybee
collects pollen and mixes it with its own digestive enzymes. One pollen granule
contains from one hundred thousand to five million pollen spores, each capable of
reproducing its entire species.
• Bee pollen rejuvenates your body, stimulates organs and glands, enhances vitality,
and brings about a longer life span. Bee pollen's ability to increase energy levels
makes consistently and noticeably a favorite substance among many world class
athletes and those interested in sustaining and enhancing quality performance.
• Claims: Produces an accelerated rate of recovery-normal heart rate and breathing.
It provides energy, stamina, and strength, and enhances performance levels.
• Effectiveness: Studies have shown that taking Bee Pollen does increase your
energy and stamina during exercise and repeated events.

Ephedra

• Also known as “Ma Huang”

• Popular diet supplement in the U.S.
• Has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years
• Claims: enhances energy, stimulates fat metabolism, burns fat and sugar more
effectively, reduces appetite, mobilizes stored fat and carbohydrate reserves
• Effectiveness: Studies have shown that ephedra helps in weight loss.

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ACTIVITY - PEOPLE AND AGRICULTURE: MEDICINAL PLANTS

Instructions: Write your answers on a separate piece of paper

A. Complete the following table by choosing medicinal plants (you can opt to choose the
ones that were not discussed in the module), what people believe they can do, and
what they can actually do. An italicized example is provided. Please do not simply lift
the words directly from the source and try to add explanation.

Medicinal Plants What people believe they What they actually do

can do

Example: It’s a “cure all” tonic, for the It is a topical treatment of

treatment of acne, burns, wounds, burns, and frostbite.
Aloe vera
and minor wounds.

B. Choose ONE of the questions below and explain within 100-150 words. Please do not
forget to COPY the question you have chosen.

1. Why is it easier for some people to believe ridiculous and exaggerated claims of
wellness than to heed and seek medical advice?

2. How do you protect yourself from erroneous claims of herbal "cure all’s"?

Sources:
Agriculture. (2020). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture
Agriculture [Power Point slides].
Herbal supplements and health [Power Point slides].

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