Taking a Look at Soil Depletion

Times have changed, and so has the family, the community and our environment. And these changes have impacted our lives and earth immeasurably. This is where the factor greed comes in to play, the need for more. This need for more called for extensive measures, measures like fertilizers, pesticides and equipment to work the ground and harvest the crops became necessity. Agriculture became a booming business that did not and still does not promote the well-being of the employee nor the individual let alone the family unit and community. Since 1950 an average farm size has doubled, but the number of laborers decreased substantially and the number of small local farmers has been cut in half. Farmers have been forced to become more efficient and there 's been a reliance on greater chemicals and technology, which has become very extensive and expensive. Sadly, what has been short term expansion has become a long-term threat (Trautmann, 2012). This greed driven increase has led to subtle damaging ramifications that most people are ignorant to. Their needs are being met as quality is being forsaken. Our environment is being squandered. Selfishness abounds.

“The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.” (Arthur Keith)

It is also affordability, convenience, and effectiveness in nourishing plants; however it can also have disadvantages when using chemical based fertilizers. Plants will show signs of lacking nutrient the inorganic fertilizer was separate help over organic choices, it depends on soil organisms to first, break down the organic substance before the nutrients can be out. Inorganic fertilizer’s fast delivery elements and minerals eliminate this potential problem. Inorganic fertilizer, which is often reasonably priced, consists of mineral-based nutrients manufactured for instant application on crops. Unlike the organic variety, inorganic fertilizer does not need to decompose over time to supply nutrients to plants. Inorganic fertilizer contained balanced amounts of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus to supply plants and to grow it faster. These are the substance of chemical gain from the processes in cultivating the first one is urea. Nitrogen as urea can be lost to the atmosphere if fertilizer urea remains on the soil surface for total periods of time throughout warm

Election of 1828 is what started it all. Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams was running for President, and Andrew Jackson won by an overwhelming majority. Jackson established the Spoil System. The Spoil System awarded Jackson’s friends and supporters public offices. During the 1830’s, abolitionist began to rise, and people began to revolt, for example, William Garrison wrote the “Liberator”, and Nat Turner killed his master and 60 more people. Money was a huge issue because tariffs were raised, and Jackson destroyed the National Banks, which caused the Panic of 1837. The big issue during the 1850’s was the decision if slavery should expand into the new territory that America had gained from the Mexican War. The documents support the explanation

to the way crops have been used. Also, mentioned in “World of Chemistry”, he was born into

In the educative essay “What’s Eating America,” Michael Pollan designates the history of corn, a good and healthy food if cultivated properly. This essay is very informative because it talks about American’s diet. In this essay, Pollan examines the way of growing the corn as an influential example of using the chemical fertilizers in food. Also, He complains “Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn it into food, has in no small measure become a process of converting fossil fuels into food…” (Pollan 302). While it might be very useful when used in a prudent way, in reality the usage of chemical fertilizers is higher and the farmers are feeding their corps more than it needs which affect the ecology’s system. In other words, his focus is on corn and not only does him just points out corn presence in nearly all food products; but he comes up with other matters like fossil fuels and the factories polluting the atmosphere. Thus, it’s astonishing when someone stops and thinks about how many things are composed from corn.

With concerns of climate change on the rise, a growing population, and a fear of being unable to maintain water demands many of our daily practices are coming into question. Agriculture is not immune to the criticisms, particularly with regard to fossil fuels. In the mid 1900s farming operations started to exploit fertilizers and land to increase the yield of inexpensive grains. Such practices require fossil fuels in immense quantities through fertilizers, pesticides, and transportation. However, passionate debates often occur over the importance and where to go from here. Michael Pollan, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and the National Chicken Council vary widely in their opinions but it is likely that no one direction is feasible.

She proved this idea by talking about the three ways we are dependent on soil and how we treat it in return. The first thing we are reliant on soil for was water and the filtration of soil; she talked about how we fight for water even if we have a lot of it and how it was important to us

The only downfall from this timely conception is the damage to the soil if the crops are not rotated every few years. Berry speaks about the fact that some individuals focus on the production of crops instead of the health of their land; this irresponsibility causes problems for the environment. Berry states, “Once one’s farm and one’s thoughts have been sufficiently mechanized, industrial agriculture’s focus on production, as opposed to maintenance, becomes merely logical…The farm and all concerns not immediately associated with production have in effect disappeared from sight” (Berry, p. 2, p. 3). Some of America’s Society do not care about the consequences of constantly harvesting. Instead, people concern themselves with meeting the supply and demands. Berry expresses his views about soil science and its uses of replacing the lost nutrients from the overuse of the land.

The predator populace in the earth populace is developing, while the predator populace in the grass is not advancing as quick. Everybody and each living thing are always advancing; in any case, since the knifes in the earth populace could outlast the forks, dissimilar to in the grass specialty, they are developing quicker. The spoons still ruled over all, surrendering the opposition over to the blades and forks. Table 2a obviously demonstrates that the knifes cooperated better, or were forceful in their approach of attempting to survive longer, and making more eras. Similar phenotypes were not supported in both the grass and soil populaces on the grounds that distinctive results came to be. On the off chance that the knifes just murdered off the forks in the grass segment, then the phenotypes would have been the same. The way that the knifes adjusted their nourishment on their mouths and afterward ate it was a key make, that drove them beat the forks. Since in the grass segment the forks likewise could defeat the do not have that their mouths stalled out within the individual clear out.

Today, in the United States, farmers and ranchers produce a wide variety of commodities for food, fuel, and fiber in response to markets. These farmers understand and recognize the significance of managing their soil as well as their plant productivity. America’s farmers are true professionals because crop production is a very complex business.

This technological advancement permits plants to absorb nitrogen through the fertilizer produced. Nitrogen is a key component for photosynthesis, thus essential for plants growth and the production of food. Since, plants are incapable of absorbing the nitrogen in the atmosphere, the atmospheric nitrogen must be converted into ammonia. Therefore, the fertilizer produced through the combination of Nitrogen and Hydrogen is vital for plants. Although, ammonia hinders the environment and is the prominent chemical in the production of explosives, it has enable for food production to increase and sustain the constantly growing population around the world. Without the use of the Haber Process for fertilizer, starvation of many would be inevitable, since even with the utilization of fertilizer to increase the production of food, world hunger continues to exist. Not only does the utilization of fertilizer aid in the reduction of the lack of food but also lowers the cost of the food. Since, an abundance of food will influence the prices of food to

Welcome to the age of an agricultural revolution as everyday biotechnology continues to bring innovation to human’s most basic needs – food. Food is essential to any living organism, providing energy for our production and nutrients for our protection. Without this fundamental element, life cannot exist. Our lack to produce our own energy, like plants, causes us to become dependent on others for survival. Humans existence is attributed only to the million years of evolution our food source underwent to sustain our survival. Changing the primary nature of our food source, whether it is plant or animal, directs mankind in a dangerous future if our food dependency is permanently hampered. Welcome to the age of an agricultural devolution

In the natural environment, one of the most important elements that constitute it is soil. It contributes greatly to the sustenance of living components as well as influencing their distribution on the world’s surface. Being a habitat provider, soil also controls and regulates the circulation of water as chemical components present within the atmosphere (Nadimi & Farpoor, 2011). Some of the vital gases within the environment also rely on soil for their circulation. The include oxygen and carbon dioxide, which are crucial to the biological and cellular processes within living organisms. Another role carried out by soil includes recording the human activities that occurred in the past up until the recent time. Due to this, soil enriches the cultural essence and heritage of various communities.

For along time smallholder agricultural systems has depended on inorganic fertilizers to supply the nitrogen required for crop growth as well as maintaining or slowing the rate of carbon loss. However, in other cases especially in Nitrogen limited environment of cereal based cropping systems (such as Mzimba district), fertilizer additions can actually enhance soil carbon loss (Snapp and Pound, 2008). The continued use of inorganic fertilizers has reduced soil carbon in the district and hence reduced the water holding capacity of the soil. Sustainable use of fertilizers is accompanied by the availability of residues in the soil however an emerging challenge is that recently there has been a competing demand for residues between crops and livestock. The clearing of land in search for settlement land and opening of new farming land has led to reduced forest areas and/or grasslands where livestock used to graze and consequently, they depend solely on crop residues. This competition reduces the availability of residues to replenish soil organic matter and in the process the resilience of the agricultural systems. The outcome of the loss of resilience if increased reduced soil fertility and eventually low productivity.