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Essay / The importance of genetically modified foods for the storage of the African savanna
Table of contentsIntroductionResearch methodsAfrican savannah and food productionThe role of climate in food productionHuman activity that threatens food securityRelationships between human environments and land cultivatedAnalysisDecision makingConclusionIntroductionA biome is a large community of plants and animals presenting characteristics similar to those of the environment in which they live and occupying a major habitat. African savannahs make up a significant part of Earth's grassland biome and play a vital role in supplying the world's population with food sources. Protection of the African grassland biome is clearly linked to food security and can be managed to provide food for the world's population. This can obviously be seen and understood through; the African savannah and food production, the suitability of crops grown in the African savannah, the threats to the African savannah, the environmental consequences of food cultivation in the African savannah, the role of climate in food cultivation, the human activity that threatens food security and relationships between human environments and cultivated land. Analysis and decision making will also be included in the report. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Research Methods A variety of different sources were used to address the thesis statement and ensure that all information provided was accurate and credible. The sources used to produce this report were secondary, including a number of image and graphic sources which will be considered and referred to throughout the report. These sources will be located in the appendix and throughout the body of the report. Other sources used to find the information include books, websites, and additional materials found within these websites and manuals. African savannahs are responsible for supplying the world with most of the major food grains. This biome plays a major role in providing the world with a source of food and is under constant threat, mainly due to human threats such as over-exploitation of agriculture. The most effective solution to preserve African savannahs would be the use of genetically modified foods. African savannahs are a grassland biome that plays a major role in food production. Located in Africa, this region covers 5 million square miles, which is equivalent to 12.9 million square kilometers. As shown in Figure 1, the region includes a number of countries, covering almost 65 percent of Africa, including Nigeria, Zambia, Mozambique, Guinea and many other African countries. Savannas are mainly found between the desert biome and the rainforest biome, located close to the equator. The African savannah and food production The African savannah is one of the world's major grassland biomes, providing the world's population with much of the food and fiber our bodies need. in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. These foods and fibers all come from the animals and plants that inhabit the grassland biome. Foods grown in this biome provide the majority of the human population's diet, including the major food grains: corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, and sorghum. The African savannah is also used to produce other foods such as grasses of all types, rice and grazing of animals such ascattle and sheep which can be used for their milk and meat. Grassland biomes play an important role in growing crops because the soil is deep and fertile. This deep, fertile soil gives an advantage to plants grown in the biome, as they must be able to survive the dry season and drought that often occur in grasslands. Many grasses rely on fire to germinate and the plants are fed by rain. However, due to the constant change in climate, they are also fed by irrigation, as they do not always naturally receive the nutrients they need. There are several different agricultural techniques used in a grassland biome, including wheat farming – found in mid-latitude temperature climates, mixed farming – grazing and cultivation are practiced here, usually located closer to markets and wetter regions, intensive agriculture – located near urban centers. , producing dairy, horticultural, vegetable and agricultural products – located in warm, well-watered areas, meaning products such as sugarcane, cocoa, bananas, rubber and palm oil can be cultivated. As with all biomes, the African savannah has many threats that impact the environment and the ability to grow certain foods in the region. The most common threat to the African savannah is drought and intensive grazing. Severe droughts have always had a dangerous effect on the African savannah ecosystem, with grazing patterns subsequently exacerbating this effect. The combination of drought and heavy grazing can cause the biome to shift from a cover of edible and perennial grasses to a cover of inedible grasses and plants. This change in the biome then leads to desertification. Desertification is the spread of desert conditions into a grassland area, caused by several different factors, including climate change, agricultural practices and overgrazing. All of these factors contribute each year to lowering the water table away from plant roots, causing the desertification of 46,000 square kilometers of African savannah. Another threat to the grassland biome is carbon emissions, closely linked to climate change. A 2012 survey shows that there is a large increase in woody plants in grassland biomes. The authors quickly discovered that this was due to an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. If a dramatic increase in woody plants were to invade the savannah, it would threaten the entire ecosystem, because these plants use more water than grasses. The introduction of plant species also poses a threat to the African savannah, most of which are weeds that cause major problems and alterations to the environment. These weeds include those such as Lantana, Prickly Pear and Mesquite. These plants can change the frequency of fires, causing them to burn better or worse than they normally would, increase intense grazing pressure, and compete with other plants in the biome for water and sunlight, causing pressure on native plant species. Africa has a fairly large population and most of that population depends on the land to provide them with the food sources they need. In previous years, Africa was not as densely populated as it is today, meaning that farmers could exploit their land extensively. This meant they could choosethe most fertile lands and grow their crops there for a while until soil fertility and crop yields decreased, then they moved to more fertile lands. This agricultural system allowed farmers to provide the population with sufficient quantities of food while preserving soil fertility in the long term. As population density increased, the demand for food increased and more and more people depended on a certain amount of land. This meant more land had to be cultivated for a longer period of time, which strained the carrying capacity of a particular area of land, causing soil depletion which led to erosion. The African savannah is commonly considered the area most at risk of declining agricultural production and has been severely affected by drought and food shortages in recent years. The Role of Climate in Food ProductionClimate plays a vital role in the grassland biome, especially when it comes to producing food and maintaining food security. Climate change in grasslands is leading to increased seasonal, annual, minimum, and maximum temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. Like any other grassland biome, the African savannah is a dry region with a strong seasonal climate, which means it is extremely sensitive to climate change and major changes in climate routine. The African savannah experiences long periods of severe drought and increasing this drought could lead to major changes in the land's vegetation cover. This means that a loss of vegetation cover will occur. Loss of vegetation and increased rainfall intensity will significantly increase potential erosion rates, meaning the region's soil fertility will decline at a notable rate. This decrease in soil fertility will result in crops and food sources grown in the savannah not receiving the nutrients they need to thrive, leading to a major decline in food security. The growing period during which a plant is exposed to extreme heat or drought is important. When a crop is flowering or fruiting, it becomes particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature and humidity, compared to other growth stages where the crop may be more tolerant. Changes in temperature and precipitation will likely affect atmospheric gases, fertilizers, plant pathogens and weed growth in an area. If temperatures continue to rise beyond a certain threshold, the growing season may become shorter and yields reduced. SecurityHuman activity plays a major role in each biome, some of these activities help preserve the earth and others pose a threat to the earth. Human activity causes numerous threats and disturbances to the savannah ecosystem. Major threats to food security include population growth, increasing food demand, food prices, decreasing variety of agricultural plant species, water scarcity, food loss and waste. Rapid population growth in Africa, mainly caused by high birth rates in developing countries, means that feeding the world's population is one of the most vital issues facing today. It is estimated that by 2025, the population of sub-Saharan Africa will reach 1.3 billionpeople, which will put a strain on land resources. Other human activities that threaten food security in the African savannah grassland biome include the killing of wild animals for survival, hunting of wild animals for valuable items – black rhinos are hunted for their horns, plant species are heavily harvested due to their commercial value and trees such as the African blackwoods are felled and used to produce sculptures sold in tourist markets. Relationships between human environments and cultivated lands Agriculture has become a dominant form of land management. Human influence on land is accelerating due to rapid population growth and increasing demand for food. This leads to an increase in agricultural intensity and generates pressure not only on the land but on the entire biome and its ecosystem. Over the past 500 years, cultivated land worldwide has increased by 12%. This means that more than 1.6 billion hectares of land are cultivated. This creates an important relationship between human environments and croplands, as people rely on these croplands to provide the food resources needed to create a healthy and productive environment. Land is used to grow most of the food produced in the African savannah, creating a strong link between food security and land use. Before the 1900s, when things like industrial fertilizers, improved cultivators, and modern livestock farming were introduced, farmers turned to agriculture as a way to produce more food. However, after this progress was made, it was possible to significantly increase food production on the same amount of land. AnalysisDrought and intensive grazing are two of the main threats to the African savannah and when a threat comes into play in a biome, the ecosystem must adapt accordingly to continue growing and producing. To do this, most plant species will have to adapt to the new environment in order to continue to grow. To protect against drought and soil erosion, plants transform over time to develop long taproots to reach the groundwater table, trees produce a thicker layer of bark around They provide additional protection against annual fires and they lose their leaves during the dry season to conserve water and prevent moisture loss while storing it in the roots and trunks. To avoid the risk of overgrazing or overgrazing, plants adapt to create siliceous spicules to prevent herbivory, they grow from the base rather than the top of the plant to avoid damage to building tissues and the reproduction to invade plants that compete and appear as a threat. Governmental and non-governmental organizations are working to address these challenges in different ways. Farmers, in particular, grow plants that will help support the land and its ecosystem by protecting the soil and creating habitat for the biome's wildlife. One example is farmers in Kenya who are planting millions of trees as windbreaks to reduce soil erosion. African wildlife reserves receive millions of dollars a year from tourism alone. This money earned not only serves to protect the biome and habitats, but is also used as a means to raise awareness for the protection of wildlife reserves and the African savannah ecosystem. However, as the.