Essay on Impacts of Agricutlure on the Environemnt

1 The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has stepped in to provide restorative practices upon 500,000 acres of heavily degraded public grasslands. This land is suffering from severe soil erosion as well as degradation due to overgrazing. The suppression of natural fires has caused shrubs and invasive weeds to encroach upon the grasslands. A full scale assessment will take place on this land before restoration efforts begin. The first thing that would need to be assessed is the soil, for it is eroding and holding little nutrient value. Samples would be taken of this soil from various parts of the grasslands including the eroded gullies. Each soil sample would be taken from at least 1 foot below the surface, to test for carbon richness below the topsoil. These would then be tested for texture, density, water retention, and chemical composition. Typically, powerful, healthy soil will contain amounts of both Nitrogen and Phosphorous, which are essential nutrients in sustainable plant growth. These samples would also be tested for any build-up of salts, something known as soil salinization. Unhealthy, salinized soil is created over years of over-hydrating and deep plowing. Excess water will suffocate root systems of once-healthy crops, and salinized soils will reduce crop output up to 20% (Withgott &Brennan, 2011). The next assessment would be in the shrubs and invasive weed species on the land. Knowing the volume and location of these plants gives way to a better understanding of

(Phillips, 2008, p.385) Farmers are the reason as to why the region has been stable, has helped the economy, and are the “guardians of the land,” as noted by Phillips. (Phillips, 2008, p. 385) That being noted, farming has helped so many individuals, such as in jobs as well as food products such as wheat in our everyday lives. Technological innovations have helped in the development of the land of the Palouse. Chemicals have helped evolve the land with the growth of crop yields, such as “herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and hybrid wheat varieties.” (Phillips, 2008, pg. 387) This has caused long term environmental problems such as soil erosion. This has brought me to the interest of how the land that overcame the main problem. That is soil erosion stripped off the land due to farmers using chemicals to implement growth in their

1. How has soil erosion from agricultural lands modified sediment transport, erosion, and deposition in rivers? When trees are cleared away for agricultural purposes, soil erosion increases drastically. Erosion increases due to the elimination of vegetation, so sediment transportation increases because less trees result in easier transportation of eroded soils, which in turn increases the deposition of sediments in rivers. Intensive use of agricultural areas is also a cause of erosion; it strips away the topsoil. We obviously must grow food, but we can be more responsible with the land we have to do so. Agricultural erosion can be reduced by practicing balanced rotations and establishing a solid vegetation cover. Taking these prevention steps

They found that the terraced fields in the Loess Plateau region results in higher soil moisture while maintaining soil fertility. This means that plants are able to absorb more water from the soil during the second crop. In the dry West China, such natural water conservation is significant in helping farmers grow their plants throughout the year. Terraced fields also tremendously reduced erosion in the region. Comparing the erosion modulus of regular sloped land and terraced land in the region, the erosion modulus of terraced land is about 1.8% that of the regular sloped land. This means that terraced land preserved and improved the soil in the region for sustainable agriculture. With better and richer soil, agriculture production yield increased dramatically, which generated a lot of revenue.

The last point I want to address is how we can prevent soil erosion. 3 procedures we can do to help prevent erosion are: use land according to its capability, protect the soil surface with a type of cover, or control the runoff before it becomes an erosive force. Another source says we can also prevent erosion by planting vegetation, matting for residential properties, using mulch/fertilizer, and retaining walls/edging. Each of these can reduce soil erosion and can also be healthy for the environment.

Meanwhile, Conventional tillage practices is another practice which was once embraced to be sustainable to meet world food production due to growing population, but later result in significant losses of soil organic matter (SOM),

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must consign a farm protocol that requires organic soil to be used in croplands which will help eliminate problematic soils caused from CO2 emissions from cultivated farmlands. Everette Burdick, a chemist and former USDA researcher for five years, studied how climate change affects soil in Coral Gables. Burdick states, “Cultivation of land has been the main CO2 emission source with plant growth and production being jeopardized by changes in the distribution of rainfall…this degradation of drylands results in soil exhaustion and erosion. It diminishes soil productivity, and negatively impacts areas not directly affected by its symptoms, by causing floods, soil salinization, and silting of rivers, streams and reservoirs” (1). Continental lands, which include farms, tend to create a buildup in salt production, which is the process of desertification, if the crop soil is affected by rainfall shortages which are affected by CO2 emissions on the climate. In this case, it is possible for the crop to undergo cryptobiosis, a form of de-oxygenation which occurs when soil becomes dehydrated, which then makes the crop ‘dead’ from lack of sustenance. Burdick affirms that, “The emission limitation

The first thing farmers do is cultivate, or till, the land to control the weeds and to bring oxygen to the soil (Wright & Boorse, 2011). The only problem, it leaves the soil unprotected from wind and water, which can have a negative effect by compressing the soil (Wright & Boorse, 2011). On top of that, aeration and filtration can be worse for the land. Aeration and filtration are meant to bring oxygen to the soil, which is what soil needs to stay healthy (Wright & Boorse, 2011). When it has a negative effect, splash erosion occurs. Splash erosion ruins the soil by sealing the top layer and not allowing oxygen through (Wright & Boorse, 2011). Another issue is poor crop rotation. Every few years it is recommended to lay hay and clover to increase the flow of nitrogen. When neglected, the soil degrades (Wright & Boorse, 2011).

It is estimated that up to 40% of the world 's agricultural land is seriously degraded.[3]

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

Soil erosion is a natural process, occurring over geological time, and indeed it is a process that is essential for soil formation in the first place. With respect to soil degradation, most concerns about erosion are related to accelerated erosion, where the natural rate has been significantly increased mostly by human activity. Soil erosion by water is a widespread problem throughout Europe.

Secondly, people that farm in the area can practice better agricultural practices that can benefit the soil and earth. If people can find a way to cultivate the land without harming the soil, then it might be a good thing and restore nutrients to the soil. If nutrients can be restored back into the soil, then the humus layer will not deteriorate and the soil will be strong enough to defend itself against erosion. Thirdly, farmers can hold back on livestock grazing so that the vegetation of the area will not be completely consumed. If grazing is decreased, then vegetation will remain and with sufficient time and water, the vegetation will grow, expand and protect the land. Fourthly, farmers can use another plan for harvesting so that the land will not be over-cultivated. They can alternate between different pieces of land, growing crops on one piece of land for a year, and leaving the other land alone for a year to be nourished and restored with nutrients. Fifthly, people can build artificial barriers or buffer zones (small slopes, hills, or a bump) surrounding rivers. During heavy rainfall, rivers have a tendency to flood and wash away soil at the foothills. If there were barriers surrounding the rivers, then rivers will not flood as easily, and the soil will not be eroded by water. A sixth way to combat erosion on the foothills is for farmers to grow more vegetation around the land to protect the soil.

Modern agricultural though has developed into a global environmental and humanitarian issue. With the ever growing human population, our ability to sustain arable land is posing a

Soil erosion is a naturally occurring process in which the top layer of the soil washes away that affects all landforms which can occur due to heavy rains, cyclone, typhoons, hurricanes, twisters, animals, human activities etc. In agriculture, soil erosion denotes to the wearing away of a field 's topsoil by the natural physical forces of water and wind) or through forces associated with farming activities such as tillage.

The poor performance of agriculture in many low income countries is due to the deterioration of the natural resource base. The major problem which limiting the development of the agricultural sector is the land degradation which is caused by soil erosion as well as nutrient depletion. This is an enormously serious problem especially in the tropical steep lands where rain fed agriculture comprises the major livelihoods of the people. A number of these countries have numerous soil and water conservation programs which have tried to mitigate the land degradation problem but have done so unsuccessfully.