Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
what are effects of continuing intensification of food production? (effect…
what are effects of continuing intensification of food production?
intensification of food production has brought about many benefits, mainly being ability to provide food for rapidly increasing world population
however, can also have damaging effects on env and ppl in affected areas
challenges associated with intensification of production of crops from 1960s
effect of irrigation on water and soil quality
irrigation can cause problems when not properly managed
extensive irrigation may cause ground to be waterlogged
waterlogging occurs when too much water seeps into soil and causes soil to be over-saturated
causes roots to be deprived of air and nutrients that crops need, eventually causing them to die
salinisation occurs when water added to soil during irrigation evaporates directly from moist soil, causing salt to be left behind on soil after evaporation
salinisation can also occur following irrigation when there is no proper drainage of excess water
groundwater may reach upper soil layers, bringing up dissolved salts from ground.
saline soils are those in which concentration of salts is too high for crops to grow well
problems of waterlogging and salinisation have been observed in Murray-Darling basin in victoria, australia.
salt is commonly found in Murray darling basin landscape and rivers
naturally occuring salts became concentrated in some parts here due to human activities such as irrigation development and land cleaning
when these activities happen here, which is characterised by low terrain, low rainfall and high evaporation rate, salinisation occurs
pg 137 for pictures
effect of chemicals on water and soil quality
overuse of fertilisers and pesticides causes chemicals to become concentrated in soil
over time,they seep into groundwater, contaminating it
they may also be washed into streams and rivers by surface runoff
when these chemials reach streams and rivers, they become nutrients for algae to grow on surface of water
causes eutrophication, which is presence of excess nutrients in water, leading to algae bloom
algae blooms depletes oxygen in water and block sunlight from reaching aquatic plants
results in death of aquatic plants and other organisms such as fish
decomposition of these aquatic plants and other organisms such as fish
1 more item...
eg in USA, pesticides from farmland had contaminated groundwater
serious as 23% of freshwater used in country comes from groundwater sources
eutrophication is common problem in many countries. therefore, measures have to be taken to reverse trends of eutrophication by:
implementing control measures aimed at preventing nutrients from reaching water bodies because it is less effective to treat water bodies once problem has occured. as such, measures to manage runoff shoould be in place
raising awareness of eutrophication through public awareness campaigns, school environmental education programmes, and targeted outreach within communities
eutrophication management is closely related to policies dealing with prevention and control of environmental degradation
monitoring pollution level in env is continuous effort that requires cooperation between gov, organisers and community
pg 137 and 139 for picture