How Does Agriculture Affect The Environment

Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R., & Walker, P. (2002). How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environmental Health Perspective. In this article, Horrigan agrees with Pollan that there is definitely a problem with using corn-based feed for animals who are to then be fed to human beings. Specifically, Horrigan examines both animal feed and the danger of other forms of pollution which have an impact on human food production and eventual consumption. The authors make the claim that animal consumption itself is highly dangerous and perhaps should be universally abolished in order to help the environment in terms of pollutants and to help humans in their health concerns.

In the late 19th century, many factors affected agriculture in the United States as small farms transitioned to large farms. Technology, government policy, and economic conditions greatly influenced the way agriculture functioned in America. Farmers were exposed to advanced agricultural machinery and suffered from poor economic conditions due to a lack of government intervention. As production of crops increased thanks to the advancements in agriculture and processing, the prices of food dropped, leading to the eventual downfall of American farmers. In addition, the government was rooting for the success of the national economy, even if that meant choosing to neglect the struggling farmers and workers that made that success possible.

This suggests that the roadsides was once beautiful and bloomed with healthy and lively vegetation; however, they are now destroyed due to the use of pesticides. From these examples, it can be shown that even though pesticide is beneficial, its deadly effects outweigh its benefits; in addition, it is a dangerous substances to the environment, organisms, and even human.

Agricultural runoff is another big factor in water pollution and it is similar to the storm water process but only with more dangerous pollutants. Agricultural waste runoff from the barnyards finds its way into the drainage emerging with the water bodies. The runoff from the barnyard being polluted by the multiple fertilizers used in the crops, pesticides, and livestock waste. Then the polluted water from the runoff makes contact with the water bodies such as lakes and rivers polluting them. There are two essential chemicals for the growth of crops and livestock: nitrogen and phosphorus. However, nitrogen and phosphorous are very dangerous chemicals when they make contact with water or soil. High concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in

The increase in desire for perfect produce, drives the need for pesticides today. Much debate of the effects of chemicals used on commercial crops and overall long term effects on humans is an increasing concern. With the increase in advertising of organic produce, many standards of farming have been criticized. Many are claiming a large increase in risk to humans for consuming commercially grown produce, because of the chemicals used to manage such a large volume of crops. There have been many debates of the actual risk of pesticide consumption. With advancing technology and farm equipment, many types of chemical sprays and powders have been used. The actual effect of these pesticides and long term exposure can be harmful to human health.

However, agriculture is the central issue. While pesticides are being used to keep crops alive, a benefit to farmers, the natural ecosystem is not exactly experiencing the same effect; the ecosystem is being destroyed. An effective way agriculturists can improve on decreasing the amount of pesticides is to use continuous production, where it is reusing the fields, without wasting and hurting them.

Finally, the author asserts that applying chemical pesticides is increasing in sake control agricultural pests, likely we envisage water and food chain contaminants, consequently. This issue is considered as the last point of support that the birds’ species populations have been lessening in the United States due to developing in human population which lead to using more agricultural activities and chemical pesticides. The lecturer, though, cast doubt on the reading by pointing out that today the traditional pesticides are replaced by new and less detrimental effects ones. Besides this, the more resistant crops against pests are performed; ultimately, the harmfulness of agricultural activities have

matter of concern recently because of the research results and evaluations of what the pesticide

The pesticide industry rose to fame in the period of World War II where numerous chemicals being used in warfare and they were found with capabilities of killing insects. Insects were being used as experiments while testing the chemicals that were being used to kill other humans. In the middle of 1940, because of the poisonous nature of some pesticides, though still effective and good played a very great role towards agriculture, the federal government managed to respond by initiating some few regulatory rules. This paper is aimed at analyzing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that are used in pesticides, it will also provide some threats that pesticides pose on the environment’s well-being, as well as human’s, and will

To begin, Pesticides are used to kill insects and unwanted bacteria that destroy the growth of crops. Everyone becomes directly or indirectly affected by these chemicals. Unfortunately, society came up

The purpose of the article is inform the readers of the various aspects of the industrial agriculture system and how it depletes natural resources, such as water, soil, and fossil fuels at unsustainable rates. The article outlines the present, concerning public health and environmental issues with food production methods and advises different techniques to make the systems more viable. It also discusses the use of chemicals, such as antibiotic medicine and pesticides, and their effect on humans and the environment. The industrial agriculture system consumes fossil fuel, water, and topsoil at unsustainable rates. It contributes to numerous forms of environmental degradation, including air and water pollution, soil depletion, diminishing biodiversity, and fish die-offs. Meat production contributes disproportionately to these problems, in part because feeding grain to livestock to produce involves a large energy loss. It makes animal agriculture more resource intensive than other forms of food production.

Agricultural pollution has historically not been regulated under the United State’s most powerful water quality control law, The Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA). But as the U.S. agricultural industry has become more industrialized, additions have been added to the CWA that attempt to curb increasing pollution from industrial animal farm housing facilities, technically known as Concentrated Animals Feeding Operations (CAFOs). One of these additions — the “Waters of the United States,” (WOTUS) Rule — came in 2015, providing scientific evidence for the regulation of CAFOs and other highly toxic sources alike under the CWA. In the name of all farmers, President Donald Trump has taken the side of industrial agriculture since taking office, and proposed

Factory farms are becoming one of our main sources of pollution to our planet. The concentrated, massive amount of animals in one place requires much resources, generates a huge amount of wastes which are highly harmful to the surrounding environment. Furthermore, only a small fraction of feed additives in intensive animal agriculture is metabolized in the animal’s body, while the rest goes unchanged into the urine and manure. “Indiscriminate use of arsenic compounds in agricultural activities during the 20th century has caused widespread soil pollution” (Liu 273). The soil in the areas is in such a poor condition that it is no longer fertile. The concentrated waste of the animals has contaminated the groundwater and polluted the rivers nearby

     Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fibre productivity rose due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favoured maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labour demands to produce the majority of the food and fibre.

Developing means of farming agriculture is the reasons humans live in the world they do today. Modern agricultural practices have started the process of agriculture pollution. This process causes the degradation of the eco-system, land, and environment due to the day by-products of agriculture. Agriculture pollution in the United States is a serious problem which affects the health and sustainability of our great nation.