Intensive agriculture is harmful to the environment in many ways. They are often due to cutting down the cost price and damaged the environment. They also affect the food chain of many animals and plants in the ecology system. When we remove buffers to make efficient use of the fields, along with the advantages of lower food cost and more food for the poor, it destroys the natural habitat and also lead to soil and wind erosion of the top soil. The use of fertilizers can influence the aquatic life of the river and lakes. Pesticides uses can kill useful insects when destroying harmful ones.
http://www.answers.com/topic/intensive-farming
Cotton Cultivation
http://mud.mm-a2.yimg.com/image/2238428944
Cotton production is also harmful to the environment if they are used intensively. As surface water is diverted to irrigate the cotton, fresh water has to be taken from sources like lake or river. There are lots of wastage as much of the water is lost through evaporation, seepage and ineffective water management. Wastage should be reduced as fresh water is precious in our environment.
If there is still intensive agriculture of cotton, there might be further damage to the Aral Sea Basin, resulting in a decrease of the surface area of the sea. Activities of cotton include runoffs from field, drainage, pesticide appliance, water withdrawal, extensive irrigation, and land reclamation. These results in eutrophication and also pollution, along with, lose of soil and wild life.
Groundwater depletion is also caused by cotton cultivation. As groundwater is pumped to irrigate the cotton, the water is mix with solid caps which do not allow water to run off and water is precious as it is non-renewable source.
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/policy/agriculture_environment/commodities/cotton/environmental_impacts/water_use/index.cfm
Report on Poland’s pig farming
The increasing population in many countries is getting higher. Especially in western countries where meat is consumed every meal. Thus the demand of meat is actually getting higher. Poland slaughters about 1.2 millions of their pigs in a year. Around 30~40% of these pork is exported to other countries. Because of that, the number of pig farmers in the country is increasing at a fast rate as people soon saw the opportunities in becoming pig farming and is able to get rich. But due to this increase in the farming of the poverty, there is more farming occurring and this continues and leads to intensive farming, thus creating a lot of problem.
So as to fulfill the high and rising demand, farmers tend to care more about the cost efficiency compared to the environment. They try to save money in every way they can while rising their pigs so that they can earn maximum amount of profits. Like example, when there is a lot of pigs, there would also be an increase in the amounts of waste produce by the pigs. It was found that if the pig’s waste is not cleaned and disposed correctly, it could become a dangerous pollutant.
Pig waste or slurry, could emit toxic gases like ammonia and hydrogen sulphide. If these combine to high concentration, they can cause headaches, eye irritation, mood swings and fatigue. The ammonia produced can also cause problems when it seeps through the soil and reaches the underground water. It can pollute the river and cause the rapid growth of bacteria and leads to many aquatic creatures’ problem. These Nitrates when drunk could also be a risk to human life.
Not only that the waste from the pigs is problematic, it is also believed that pig manure also contain antibiotic resistant diseases. These resistant diseases can actually harm other pigs and even humans. The waste is mixed with straw and known as processed and is harmless. But it is found that the permitted level of antibiotic is 15~30 times more than the allowed level.
As Poland produces cheap and high quality pork, they actually pollute the environment through the above mentioned problems and this also contributes to intensive agriculture as there is a lot of pig farming. This created many problems and harm to the environment.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4035081.stm
My point of view
From what I see, I think the government should seriously control the way farmers handle their pigs. They go all out to save money and totally ignore about the environment and harm the environment. Thus when the government control the farmers, they actually help the environment a lot. There are a few ways which the government can help. One example will be to educate the farmers on how they should properly clean away the pig‘s waste so that the environment will not be endangered. Thus in this way, the farmers will know the importance of the environment and will not harm it anymore.
Copyrighted. U copy you die =) 18-05-207 11.45pm
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