2.4 Food Production Technology
Food production technology is applied to solve the issue of global food shortage. It involves measures such as increasing food quality and production quantity, producing and using quality breeds, and applying various modern technologies.
Learning Objectives
- Identify ways to increase the quality and quantity of national food production.
- State the characteristics of quality breeds and explain how they are obtained.
- Describe the application of modern technology in agriculture and food processing.
- Explain methods of optimal resource utilisation and efficient land management.
- Compare the use of insecticides and biological control in crop pest management.
Comparison of Pest Control: Insecticides vs Biological Control
Compare the mechanisms, advantages and drawbacks of chemical insecticides versus biological control.
Short Explanation
What is food production technology?
Food production technology is applied to solve the issue of global food shortage. It involves measures such as increasing food quality and production quantity, producing and using quality breeds, and applying various modern technologies.
To meet global food demands, agricultural science applies advanced technology and efficient management. Farmers use superior plant and animal varieties created through genetics and cross-breeding, such as the Tenera palm or Mafriwal cow. Fieldwork and processing are accelerated by drones, tractors, and automated machinery. Soil fertility and resources are conserved using methods like crop rotation and hydroponics. When dealing with pests, farmers must balance the fast action of chemical insecticides against the sustainable, eco-friendly approach of biological control.
Six Key Approaches to Increase Food Production
1. Use of quality breeds
Breeds with high yields, rapid growth and strong resistance to diseases and pests.
2. Use of modern technology
Machinery, automation, drones and biotechnology speed up production and processing.
3. Education and guidance for farmers
Agencies such as MAFI, MARDI, MPOB and ABBC increase farmers' knowledge and skills.
4. Research and development
Continuous R&D by institutions and universities, for example UPM's innovative meat-tenderising product developed by Faculty of Food Science and Technology students.
5. Optimal use of land and water resources
Developing idle land, fertilising barren land, and using soilless farming techniques.
6. Efficient land management
Crop rotation, mixed planting and terrace farming maintain fertility and increase yield.
Use of Quality Breeds
Characteristics of quality breeds and how they are obtained.
Characteristics of Quality Breeds
- High yields.
- Grows and matures rapidly.
- Meat, milk, and fruits of higher quality.
- High resistance to diseases, pests, and extreme weather.
- Easy and low-cost maintenance.
Methods to Obtain Quality Breeds
Cloning techniques
Retain good characteristics in crop and livestock breeds.
Cross-breeding
Combining desirable traits from different parents.
Genetic engineering
Directly modifying the genetic material of an organism.
Mutagenesis technology
Inducing mutations to produce new desirable traits.
Examples of Quality Breeds in Malaysia
| Quality Breed | Description |
|---|---|
| Tenera oil palm | Yields more fruits with a larger kernel, thicker pulp, thinner shell, and higher oil content. |
| Bintang Mas starfruit (MSTAR 1, MARDI) | Golden yellow, sweet, and crunchy. |
| Eksotika papaya | Big and tastes sweet. |
| Mafriwal cow | A hybrid dairy cow that produces a lot of milk and can adapt to tropical areas. |
| Akar Putra chicken | A hybrid chicken that grows rapidly and has the same meat texture as that of the kampung chicken. |
Use of Modern Technology
Machinery, biotechnology and automation in agriculture and food processing.
Food Processing Machinery
Grinding machines and liquid filling machines speed up processing and manufacturing of food.
Biotechnology
Embryo transfer, cloning, and genetic engineering increase food quality and quantity. Cloning can retain good characteristics in crop and livestock breeds.
Agricultural Machinery and Automation
Machinery such as tractors, bulldozers, and harvesters speeds up the rate of crop planting and harvesting.
Drones
Drones to spray pesticides save time and reduce labour costs.
Optimal Resource Use and Efficient Land Management
Making the best use of limited land and water, and keeping soil fertile.
Optimal Use of Land and Water Resources
Suitable land and water are limited. Optimisation includes:
- Developing idle land into land suitable for agriculture or livestock.
- Fertilising barren land.
- Converting abandoned mining pools into freshwater aquaculture areas.
- Converting seawater-flooded marshland into marine aquaculture areas.
- Building dams and canals for agricultural or livestock land facing water shortages.
Soilless Farming Techniques
Aeroponics
Plants grown with roots suspended in air, misted with nutrient solution via mist nozzles.
Hydroponics
Plants grown in grow tubes where roots absorb nutrient solution pumped from a reservoir.
Efficient Land Management
Crop rotation
Planting different crops in succession across different years.
Mixed planting
Growing two or more crops simultaneously in the same field.
Terrace farming
Cultivating sloped land in stepped terraces to prevent erosion and run-off.
Role of FELDA
The Federal Land Development Authority restores idle land into fertile land suitable for agriculture.
Pest Control: Insecticides vs Biological Control
Compare the mechanisms, advantages and drawbacks of chemical insecticides versus biological control.
Use of Insecticides
Pests include rats, grasshoppers, and snails.
Advantages
Easily controls the pest population quickly.
Disadvantages / Side Effects
Pollutes the environment, increases pesticide resistance of pests, kills earthworms and useful soil microorganisms, and contaminates land and crops.
Biological Control
Uses natural interactions (prey-predator and parasitism) to control pests.
Examples
Barn owl hunts rats (prey-predator). Wasps lay eggs in butterfly eggs, destroying them (parasitism).
Advantages
More environmentally friendly, does not harm health of non-target organisms, does not cause pests to become resistant, cheaper.
Disadvantages
Takes a longer time to control pest population, difficult to predict results, requires detailed planning and management, can disrupt ecological balance if predator/parasite becomes uncontrollable.
Case Study: Hawaii
Introduction of mongoose in Hawaii to control sugarcane rats failed because mongooses are diurnal (active daytime) while rats are nocturnal (active night), leading mongooses to prey on native birds and turtle eggs instead.
Try to Answer First
Answer in your mind, then press "Check Answer".
State four characteristics of quality breeds.
Name two soilless farming techniques mentioned in the textbook.
Give one example of a prey-predator interaction used in biological control.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing the interaction types in biological control: assuming all biological control is predation, forgetting that parasitism (e.g., wasps laying eggs inside butterfly eggs) is also an applied interaction.
- Stating that biological control works faster than chemical insecticides; in reality, biological control takes a longer time to establish and reduce pest populations.
- Confusing hydroponics with aeroponics: hydroponics immerses plant roots in a nutrient liquid stream, whereas aeroponics mists the suspended roots in air.
Concept Misunderstandings
Biological control is completely foolproof and has no negative impacts.
Biological control can disrupt the ecosystem if not carefully planned, such as when the introduced predator preys on non-target native species (e.g., mongooses eating bird and turtle eggs in Hawaii instead of nocturnal rats).
Using more chemical insecticides is always better for increasing yield.
Excessive insecticide usage increases pest resistance, contaminates crops and soil, and kills beneficial organisms such as earthworms and helpful microbes.
Summary
- Food production technology addresses food shortages by improving both quantity and quality.
- Key measures include developing high-yield, disease-resistant breeds (e.g., Tenera palm, Mafriwal cow).
- Mechanisation, biotechnology, farmer training, and optimal use of land and water resources increase production.
- Efficient management methods such as crop rotation, mixed planting and terrace farming maintain soil fertility.
- Chemical insecticides eliminate pests rapidly, while biological control offers a sustainable alternative despite requiring meticulous management to prevent ecosystem disruption.
Short Activity
A. Objective Quiz
1 Which of the following is a characteristic of the Tenera oil palm breed?
2 Why did the use of mongooses to control rat populations fail in Hawaii sugarcane plantations?
B. Fill in the Blanks
3 The soilless farming technique where plant roots are suspended in the air and sprayed with nutrient solution through mist nozzles is called .
4 The agency responsible for restoring idle land into fertile land suitable for agriculture in Malaysia is .
C. Drag and Drop: Match Each Quality Breed to Its Description
Drag each quality breed to its correct description. On a phone, tap an answer first, then tap a matching box. Tap the Answer Choices area to return a selected item.
C. Match Each Quality Breed to Its Description
Write the correct quality breed next to each description.
| Description | Quality Breed |
|---|---|
| 1. Hybrid dairy cow that produces a lot of milk and adapts to tropical areas | |
| 2. Hybrid chicken that grows rapidly and has the texture of kampung chicken | |
| 3. Golden yellow, sweet, and crunchy starfruit variety | |
| 4. Papaya variety that is big and tastes sweet |
Answer choices: Mafriwal cow • Akar Putra chicken • Bintang Mas • Eksotika
