ICSE Class 8 Biology, Unit 6: Food Production

What this unit aims at

Plants and animals provide a number of useful products to mankind. Plants are useful to us in many ways - as sources of food, fibre, timber, medicines, oils, dyes, resins and as ornamentals. Likewise, animals provide us milk, flesh, eggs, fibre, honey, silk, lac, and many more items. Micro-organisms like bacteria are also useful to us - in the production of cheese, bread, alcohol, vinegar and vaccines. There has been a great improvement in the techniques of food production and their scientific management over the years. This theme introduces children to the various methods of food production.

Your child should be able to

• discuss uses of bacteria in the food industry
• list importance of mushroom and yeast in the food industry
• explain the meaning of agriculture, horticulture, pisiculture (fish farming), apiculture, sericulture, green revolution, white revolution and animal husbandry
• identify and provide examples for various food crops and cash crops cultivated in India and make a list of useful cereal, fruit and vegetable plants
• list common names of (i) useful plants and animals, (ii) ornamental plants/decorative flowers
• list the milk-yielding (milch) animals, meat and egg-laying animals, draught animals and poultry

Key concepts in this unit

• Bacteria: uses of bacteria in food industry.
• Fungi - Importance of mushrooms and yeast in food industry.
• Agriculture: cultivated crops (food-crops and cash crops), crops grown in India.
• Horticulture- vegetables, fruits, decorative plants and flowers.
• Organic farming and green revolution in brief (awareness level).
• Animal husbandry: milk yielding (milch) animals; white revolution; meat providing livestock; draught animals (heavy work); poultry; fish farming (pisiculture); sericulture and apiculture (awareness l…