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AGRICULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT - Coggle Diagram
AGRICULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Controlling the crop enviroment
One of the largest variable factors that has an impact on the yield of a crop is the growing environment, for rearing livestock as well as growing crops.
Some important techniques such as
Providing shade for cattle
Removing trees that shade
Using windbreakers as the edges of crops
They are not easily reversible or adaptable if the local weather conditions change.
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The term greenhouse is a collective term for structure that supports the controlled growth of plants.
The term greenhouse also includes structures such as polythene tunnels, where plastic film is stretched over large metal hoops.
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The greenhouse effect
In the case of a greenhouse, sunlight passes through the glass.
Once inside the greenhouse, the heat is trapped and so the temperature inside the greenhouse becomes warmer than outside.
Greenhouses heat up using the Sun's rays.
Controlling the whole environment
Another factor grower can try to optimise is the material the plants are actually growing in.
Soil is very variable, which means that farmers may need to make large modifications to make it an ideal growing environment.
The greenhouse environment allows farmers to control most environmental conditions and increases crop yields.
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Advantages of hydroponics
An intensive system that can provide high yields.
Water is recycled, so used efficiently.
No need for soil.
Disadvantages of hydroponics
Only suitable for small production areas.
Requires a lot of technical knowledge.
It is expensive to set up.
The impact of agriculture on people and the enviroment
Overuse of insecticidies and herbicides
Overuse can cause problems that have implacations for the future prloduction
Regular use can cause resistance within pest population
Resistance develop
A number of generations has to take before a pest becomes fully resitant
But many pests have short life cycles, this means that a number of generations can occur in a few weeks.
When an insectiside are no longer working, farmers apply an increase dose to improve the effect.
This just works on a short term, thats why its better to use a range of different pesticides.
Insecticides and herbicides can also cause enviromental damage,
insecticides kill beficial insects like bees,
Both can cause spray drift.
Herbicides can remain within soil long enough to desrupt the growth of other plants
The misuse fertilizer
Has negative effects on fish and other aquatic animals.
Algae feed off of the nutrients in fertilizers, using up oxygen thta fish and other animals need.
What are the negative effects of fertilisers?
Waterway Pollution. Water polluted by chemical fertilizers.
Chemical Burn. Chemical leaf scorch can cause the plant to wither and die.
Increased Air Pollution. An iceberg melting due to increased water surface temperature.
Increased Air Pollution. An iceberg melting due to increased water surface temperature.
Soil Acidification.
Mineral Depletion.
How is fertilizer bad for the environment?
When the excess nutrients from all the fertilizer we use runs off into our waterways, they cause algae blooms sometimes big enough to make waterways impassable.
Misuse of irrigation
Misuse occurs where clean water is abstracted and returned to the water system in an unusable state.
The Aral Sea is one of the planet's greatest environmental disasters.
What are the negative effects of irrigation?
Among the negative impacts which appear in the mentioned spheres are the danger of waterlogging and salinization of soils and waters, rise in groundwater table, spread of waterborne diseases, pollution of waters and many others.
What are the effects of overuse of water?
overusing or wasting household water limits the availability of it for other communities to use for drinking, cleaning, cooking, or growing and thus contributes to disease
What is the crop choice system?
In evaluating whether a given crop will be planted, a farmer must consider its profitability, adaptability to changing conditions, resistance to disease, and requirement for specific technologies during growth or harvesting.
What are the determinants about choice of crops?
Results show that the key determinants of choosing crop variety are; the price of existing crop variety
