Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Conservation
Precision Agriculture for Increased Crop Yields
Precision agriculture seeks to use new technologies to increase crop yields and profitability while lowering the levels of traditional inputs needed to grow crops, such as land, water, fertilizer, herbicides, and insecticides.
Challenges to Food Security
Several factors contribute to food insecurity:
- Poverty: Inability to afford nutritious food.
- Food Shortages: Periods before harvests, known as “hungry seasons,” force families to travel long distances for food.
- Climate Change: Droughts and floods impact crop production.
- Food Waste: Inefficient use of available food resources.
- Economy: Economic instability affects food accessibility.
The Importance of Pollinators
Commodities produced with the help of pollinators generate significant income for producers and those who benefit from a productive agricultural community. Pollinators are also essential components of the habitats and ecosystems that many wild animals rely on for food and shelter. Habitat loss is a convenient general explanation for the cause of decline, urbanization, human activity, changes in agricultural practices, and the use of pesticides.
Livestock Production and Environmental Impact
Factors such as population growth, rising affluence, and urbanization contribute to increased demand for livestock products. Much of this demand is being supplied through rapidly expanding, modern forms of intensive livestock production. This also plays a major role in climate change, management of land and water, and biodiversity. The natural resources that sustain agriculture, such as land and water, are becoming scarcer and are increasingly threatened by degradation and climate change.
Threats to Coral Reefs
Reef damage will result in lost fish habitats and shoreline protection, thereby jeopardizing the lives and economic prosperity of people who depend on reefs for tourism and food. Reefs will be impacted by more acidic water and warmer seas.
Urban Growth: Benefits and Drawbacks
Drawbacks
Intensive urban growth can lead to greater poverty. Concentrated energy use can lead to greater air pollution. Pollution and physical barriers to root growth promote the loss of urban tree cover.
Benefits
Higher productivity due to positive externalities and economies of scale. High urban density is benign to the environment. Environment-friendly infrastructure, such as sanitation, piped water, and green technologies.
Algal Blooms and Their Impact
An algal bloom, marine bloom, or water bloom is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system. Algal blooms are the result of an excess of nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, into waters. Higher concentrations of these nutrients in water cause increased growth of algae and green plants. Algal blooms may also be of concern as some species of algae produce neurotoxins, having severe impacts on wildlife. These are known as harmful algal blooms.
Marine Reserves and Protected Areas
A “marine reserve” is an area where some or all fishing is prohibited for a lengthy period. A marine protected area is a “geographic area with discrete boundaries that has been designated to enhance the conservation of marine resources.” A marine protected area might prohibit activities like oil and gas drilling while allowing fishing.
Water Conservation Practices
Conserve water by using it at the right time, using the right amount, planting flowers that need less water, collecting rainwater, and reusing old water.
The Water Cycle
The water cycle involves several key processes:
- Evaporation
- Condensation
- Sublimation
- Precipitation
- Transpiration
- Runoff
- Infiltration
Water Cycle Steps
- Surface to Atmosphere: Evaporation
- Ocean to Atmosphere: Evaporation
- Atmosphere to Surface/Ocean: Precipitation
- Surface to Groundwater: Infiltration
- Groundwater to Surface: Groundwater recharge
- Groundwater to Ocean: Subsurface flow