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6.3 non sustainable agriculture (industrialized agriculture (high input…
6.3 non sustainable agriculture
traditional agriculture
provides 20% on the world's food crops
traditional subsistence agriculture
combines energy from the sun with the labor of humans and draft animals to produce crops
traditional intensive agriculture
farmers try to obtain higher crop yields by increasing their inputs of human and draft animal labor, animal manure for fertilizer and water.
benefits:
grows various crops side by side in the same place- poluculture
often organic: natural fertilizers, like animal manure and vegetable waste
low yield
slash and burn: involves burning and clearing small plots in tropical forests to begin the growing process again
industrialized agriculture
high input agriculture
it is practiced on 25% of all cropland in more developed countries and produces about 80% of the world's food
irrigation, synthetic fertalizers and synthetic pesticides are three technological advances that make industrialized agriculture possible
between 1950 and 2014, grain production increased by 312%
farm subsidies has been important factos in exapnded industrialized crop production
it harms the environent,
heavy equipment requires lots of gas
lots of capital
fossil fuel use
large amounts of water
large amounts of pesticides and artificial fertilizers
doesnt support independent farmers
agriculture harmful effects on the environment
uses 70% of the freshwater
uses 38% of the world's land
emits about 25% of the world's greenhouse gas
produces about 60% of all water pollution
loss of biodiversity not just of wildlife byt also of the crops themselves
soil erosion and degradation
about 1/3 of the world's cropland has been abandoned as too degraded for growing crops
topsoil erosion is a serious problem. topsoil is the fertile top layer of many soils
flowing water causes sheet erosion, rill erosion and gully erosion
the 2nd largest cause of erosion is wind
soil erosion causes loss of soil fertility, water pollution, and release of carbon
drought and human activities lead to extreme soil erosion
water consumption
aquifer depletion
agriculture uses 70% of the freshwater removed from aquifers and surface waters worldwide.
solutions: use drip irrigation
irrigate at night
grow less thirtsy crops
organic and polyculture farming to retain moisture
water pollution
agriculture produces about 70% of all water pollution
pesticides and pest control
synthethic pesticides: insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides
benefits of pesticides: same human lives from insect borne diseases, increased food supplies, herbicides help reduce soil erosion, work fast, can be stored and shipped easily
problems with pesticides: some harm wildlife, some kill natural predators and parasites the help control other pest populations, they are applied very inefficiently and pollute the environment, some are dangerous to human health, they dont stay effective for long, expensive for farmers