ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

IB GEOGRAPHY HIGHER LEVEL EXTENSION PART 4

This part of global interactions includes

• Degradation of raw materials – Effects of agro-industrialisation

• Effects of transnational manufacturing and services

• Transboundary pollution (with case-study)

• Homogenisation of landscapes

Introduction

• The ‘Anthropocene’

• This is a term given to mark the evidence and extent of human activities that have had a significant global impact on the Earth’s ecosystems

• In what way? - history

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

DEGRADATION THROUGH RAW MATERIAL PRODUCTION

Agro-industrialization

IB GEOGRAPHY HIGHER LEVEL EXTENSION PART 4

What does the syllabus say?

‘Identify the effects of agro-industrialization and changes in international production and consumption on the physical environment’

What is agro-industrialisation?

• The development of agriculture by incorporating corporate and industrial techniques

• NOT uniform around the world – farming is a global business run by large corporations in MEDCs

• BUT still many subsistent farms in LEDCs

• Agro-industrialisation is said to have a NEGATIVE environmental impact.

Some Key terms:

Mechanisation, mass production, standardisation of products, efficient supply chain, large scale distribution, deforestation

Agriculture becomes ‘food production industry’

Main Issues

• Huge rising world population

• All need fed

• How do we continue?

• How can we be sustainable?

• What has been done to the environment?

• Ted documentary – What human impacts have there been on the environment? How have landscapes been changed? What role does globalisation play?

General observations•Larger farms and field sizes for more efficient use of machinery such as combine harvesters.•Decreasing biodiversity due to monocultural production. •Increasing use of pesticides, herbicides as agricultural inputs due to reduction in natural predators eg birds.•Increasing use of fertilizers needed as soil fertility is reduced through over use.

•General observations•Decreasing natural vegetation cover. Eg hedgerows being cut down to increase field size.•Increasing use of natural waterways (rivers) for irrigation of farmland leads to decreasing water supply for natural environment.•Pollution of water and eutrophication (ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances)

• Short video clip on monoculture

• Read pages 588- 591 on agro-industrialisation and answer QBlock 15A

FLOWERS IN KENYA

IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRY TO KENYA

• Flower growing has overtaken coffee and tourism as a source of foreign exchange for Kenya.

• Flowers rank second only to tea, according to the Kenya Flower Council (KFC).

• Kenya's flower sector has grown dramatically while the rest of the economy including the agricultural sector has stagnated, especially in

the past decade.• Export of cut flowers to Europe accounts for 13% of Kenya's export

revenue.• Kenya is heavily dependent on exports of such agricultural commodities

to industrialized countries for foreign exchange revenues.• Kenyan growers have developed a factory-style business that can

deliver wrapped bunches to UK supermarkets and the Dutch flower markets.

• There are more than 120 flower farms employing more than 40,000 Kenyans.

RISE IN IMPORTANCE OF KENYAN FLOWERS

Kenya has become the European Union's biggest source of flower imports and

overtaken Israel as market leader with 25% of the market share.

FLOWER EXPORT MARKETS

SIZE OF EXPORTS

LOCATION OF

FLOWER-GROWING

AREAS

KENYA AND LAKE NAIVASHA

LAKE NAIVASHA

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999

ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LAKE

• The flower farms around Lake Naivasha are set in beautiful scenery with prolific wildlife and the 150 square kilometres fresh-water expanse has 15,000 hippos and over 350 species of birds.

• Other wildlife species around the lake include monkeys, giraffes, gazelles, Water Bucks, large herds of buffaloes, zebras etc.

• The lake also contributes to an ecosystem that provides very good conditions for the thriving of white rhinos in a number of game conservancies that have been set up around it.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS 1• PESTICIDES - In Kenya, methyl bromide (banned in EU) is

used for soil fumigation and treatment for the production of cut flowers for export to Europe. Kenya is heavily dependent on exports of such agricultural commodities to industrialized countries for foreign exchange revenues.

• EUTROPHICATION - The overuse of fertilisers and run-off into the lake is leading to the growth of algae due to an excess of nitrate fertilisers. This in turn leads to a lack of oxygen due to the excessive algae growth

• These concerns are noted on the information page of UNESCO

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS 2

WATER USE - The flower industry uses a lot of water in countries which are often prone to droughts. There has been below average rainfall for most years since 2000 and a drought for the last three years. With a rapid population growth water is a precious commodity but locations such as Lake Navaisha has plenty so it has become a centre for the growth of the flower-growing industry. The following slides show rainfall figures and population data.

KEY QUESTION

‘What are the environmental effects of the growth of the flower growing industry

around Lake Naivasha, Kenya’?USE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

TO ANSWER THIS 10 MARK QUESTION IN THE FORM OF AN ESSAY PLAN.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

• The links here are also included on our website

• The report on Lake Naivasha is available for download on our website

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/apr/19/uk-virtual-water

• http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/behind_the_label/302429/behind_the_label_cut_flowers.html

• http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/column/cut-throatflowers.html

• http://www.worldlakes.org/shownews.asp?newsid=1533

• NaivashaReport08.pdf

MORE INFORMATION

Watch the trailer to the documentary ‘A blooming business’ and other clips on Lake Naivasha on YouTube to give you an idea of both the environmental and

social impacts of the growth of this industry.

Also watch – Africa Open for Business. Diamonds and Roses.

This presents a Kenyan registered company called Homegrown exporting flowers to UK market from Lake Naivasha Kenya