Chapter 14 Visualizing Environmental Science

Throughout time, humans have pushed forward in every aspect in life in order to improve their living standards, wealth and most importantly the agricultural sector which is the base of every human race. Food is the basic requirement for any individual to stay alive and healthy. In an article by Tamsin McMahon, she states that over the past 60 years, the world population has grown from 2.5 billion to 7 billion while world hunger dropped from 40% down to 15% (McMahon T., July 2012). This shows that our agricultural advances through technology have helped control world hunger and decrease it by more than half, but this is a short-term solution if we want to consider the future generations that depend on our current actions toward the three main pillars of agriculture which are: Health and nutrition, Economy and sustainability all while considering the local small farms and corporate farms.

The largest reason for agriculture is the planet’s growing population. This is the true reason that agriculture is growing causing more and more issues with nitrogen pollution. This planet’s population is growing at an alarming rate, and in order to

Horrigan L., Lawrence R. S., & Walker, P. How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110 (5), 445-456.

The use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides have many effects, including causing acid rain (Pollan), killing aquatic animals (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and beneficial insects (Union of Concerned Scientists), and even contributing to global warming (Pollan). Monoculture depletes the soil of nutrients and causes insect problems, causing a need to use more fertilizer and pesticides (Union of Concerned Scientists). Also, because so many farmers grow the inexpensive HYVs grains, they are in abundance. This contributes to the over use of grains in processed food, which has caused health

This view is based on two ideas: first, that as more land is used in agricultural production, less land remains for wildlife or other environmental purposes; and second, that less productive agricultural lands are particularly susceptible to environmental damages. The loss of forests and other areas to crop production may be critical in developing countries with expanding cropland

In the world of agriculture, a large portion of resources are dedicated to pesticides in order to keep crops safe from common pests. However, no matter what the benefits of their use may be, the collective adverse effects outweigh the positives. First, this paper will explore the concept of pesticides and why they are harmful. Next, a way these pesticides’ effects emerge is through the environment and the health of organisms. Another way that hits closer to home is how they are affecting us, and especially our youth. Effects that pesticides lead to are the way they affect the environment in a negative way, how animal’s lifestyle changes due to the chemicals found in pesticides and how our bodies slowly deteriorate from the consumption. Knowing that using pesticides lead to harmful outcomes, we should prevent their use and find better alternatives. It would be more ethical to find environmentally friendly methods than to use the lethal chemical pesticides.

Practicing sustainability can be done in various ways. One way is through agricultural sustainability. In conventional farming, synthetic chemicals and genetically modified organisms are used to produce the highest yield possible (Gold, 2017). The process deteriorates the soil and eliminates biodiversity (Gold, 2017). The process is efficient and produces high yields but at the high cost to the environment (Gold, 2017). In contrast, agricultural sustainability minimizes water usage and tilling, uses crop rotation, and foregoes synthetic fertilizers (Gold, 2017). Instead, farmers will plant a variety of plants together to promote biodiversity and ward off pests (Gold, 2017).

Prior to the advent and isolation of specific chemical compounds that could keep away pests and disease while stimulating plant growth, all agriculture would have been "organic." It is therefore erroneous to speak of the history of organic farming as distinct from agricultural history in general. The history of chemical-dependent agro-business, on the other hand, can be discussed from a historical perspective. The term organic is used mainly in opposition to the overuse and misuse of toxic chemical compounds such as herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. These chemicals seep into groundwater, thereby creating long-term and potentially irreversible public health problems. There are also "unknown risks" associated with the use of genetically-modified organisms in agriculture (Delate, n.d.).

The challenges of production include flooding along the North River in the east half of the southeast quarter of the section and the sloping of the land. To compensate for the sloping, terraces could be incorporated to shorten the slopes and make farming a bit easier. The percentage of organic matter is relatively low in all segments of the land (appendix ?), but the producer can apply cover crops and

A long time ago people have decided to settle in one area and grow their own food, instead of travelling around and hunting or picking wild food. The practice of agriculture first began about 10,000 years ago in the areas of Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Jordan. For many years, agriculture was a natural process, which didn’t harm the land it was done on and agricultural pollution didn’t exist. Also, farmers would be able to pass the land for other generations and it would still be healthy and fertile. However, nowadays agricultural practices have changed and these different practices have started the process of agricultural pollution. The definition of the agricultural pollution is “biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests”. There are many causes that contribute to the widespread agricultural pollution. Some of the causes of agricultural pollution are: 1) Pesticides and fertilizers 2) Contaminated water 3) Soil erosion and sedimentation 4) Livestock

The field of Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field that integrates biology, ecology, and many others to the study of the environment and the solutions to environmental problems. Because of the expansion of the human population and the ways in which we use our resources, it has resulted in many problems such as climate change and ocean pollution. Many scientists and other various organizations are contributing to finding solutions to the environmental problems. This paper describes the contributions made by Wangari Maathai and Rachel Carson to the field of Environmental Science.

A controversial topic in the agriculture industry today falls within various types of farming practices. As well as the procedures that are conducted on a daily basis in each type. For this analytical report, I will focus on the differences between conventional and organic farming practices. Both practices have multiple differences but face the same goal-feeding people. By the year of 2050, farmers are expected to feed around 9 billion people. The main debate in organic farming falls with the ability to compete with conventional farming. Conventional farming also poses a risk with competing with organic farming with the fact that some practices can be deemed unsafe within conventional practices. However, this report is to take an outlook on both practices to see not just the differences between the two, but how both can contribute to modern agriculture. Though there may be some differences in the two, both strive for the same common goal.

The advancement in agriculture has been a big part in helping feed this growing world. We are expected to have close to 10 billion people on this Earth in the next century. The big question right now is how we are going to feed them with the amount of land being able to farm on is decreasing. This means that we must find a way to be more efficient and can make more food with less land. The Green Revolution was a big step back in the 1960’s in advancing in the agriculture field. Now we have a big problem with the amount of people who are already hungry and the population growing. We must find a way to be able to feed the world. Some of the ways we could do that is increasing yields through GMOS, being able to farm more acres, being able to get the food to reach the poverty-stricken areas, and as well teaching the poorer areas about food and how to produce more of it.

This fieldtrip started off at Rhodes Memorial. Rhodes Memorial was built out of Granite that could be found at the sea point contact and also at Hout Bay beach. From Rhodes Memorial, there is a view of the Cape Flats, the Tygerberg Hills as well as the Cape Fold Belt Mountains. The Tygerberg Hills’ underlying rock is made of Malmesbury group shale. This rock is a brown-reddish and dusty soil made of soft and small grains. It is a nutrient rich soil which makes it ideal for agricultural activity. It has previously been used mostly to farm wheat and to certain extent barley but more recently has been used to farm grapes to be used in the wine making process. The nutrient rich soils of the Malmesbury group shale allow for the growth of renosterveld.

The invention of agriculture is one of the greatest revolutions of human history. Agriculture is regarded as the lifeline of Economy in many countries. It is also an important social sector concerned with issues like food and nutritional security, income generation and poverty reduction. The availability of nutritional adequacy of food has been driving forces for human evolution and civilization.