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Environmental Impacts of Crop Production and Conservation Methods

Crop Production Systems Vary Among Farms Depending on: 1. Available resources and constraints. 2. Geography and climate 3. Government policy 4. Economic, social and political pressures 5. Philosophy and culture of the farmer. . A. Trends in Modern Agriculture 1. To substitute monocultur

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Environmental Impacts of Crop Production and Conservation Methods

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    1. Environmental Impacts of Crop Production and Conservation Methods

    2. Crop Production Systems Vary Among Farms Depending on: 1. Available resources and constraints. 2. Geography and climate 3. Government policy 4. Economic, social and political pressures 5. Philosophy and culture of the farmer.

    3.  A. Trends in Modern Agriculture 1. To substitute monoculture and continuous cropping for crop rotation and diversified agriculture.

    4. 2. To use herbicides and pesticides to combat pests rather than more complex biological control methods.

    5. 3. To use genetically uniform plants that have a narrow genetic base.

    6. 4. To use inorganic fertilizers rather than the more difficult-to-use organic manures in combination with green manures.

    7. B. Scenario 1. Improved varieties depleted soil nutrient levels so that cropping could only be done every other year.

    8. Solution: Chemical fertilizer application began in the late 1960’s.

    9. 2. Intensive monoculturing built up pest population levels. Solution: Pesticide use increased. By the early 1980’s, high levels of pesticides were frequently detected in ground water.

    10. 3. Increased land use reduced the soil’s ability to retain organic matter and water. Impact: Soil erosion increased.

    11. By 1980’s, evidence of soil erosion and degradation were evident in most intensively cropped areas.

    12. 4. Increased productivity Impact: created commodity surpluses, therefore, prices dropped.

    13.  C. Adverse Environmental Effects 1. Soil erosion: ~15 tons of topsoil are lost per hectare of tilled land per year. Severity depends on specific environmental conditions: topography, precipitation, etc.

    14. 2. Declining water supply: Excessive irrigation depletes water tables faster than they can recharge.

    15. 3. Fertilizer and pesticide contamination. Excess nitrogen application leads to nitrate leaching into the ground water. Fertilizers and pesticides dissolved in soil water pollute ground water.

    16. D. Alternative Agriculture Any system of food or fiber production that systematically pursues the following goals:

    17. 1. More thorough incorporation of natural processes, such as nutrient cycles, nitrogen fixation, and pest-predator relationships, into the production process.

    18. 2. Reduction in the use of off-farm inputs with the greatest potential to harm the environment or health of farmers and consumers.

    19. 3. Improvement of the match between cropping patterns and production potential of plant and animal species.

    20. 4. Profitable and efficient production with emphasis on improved farm management and conservation of soil, water, energy and biological resources.

    21.  E. Examples of Alternative Systems: More diversified: Increases stability and reduces financial risk.

    22. 1. Crop rotations to control weed, disease and/or insect problems that increase soil nitrogen levels to reduce the need for inorganic fertilizer application.

    23. 2.  Incorporation of conservation tillage to minimize soil erosion.

    24. 3.  IPM: reduces pesticide use, uses resistant cultivars, incorporates biological pest control measures.

    25. Objective of IPM: Use the control methods that control the pest, or reduce the population below economic damage levels, while minimizing detrimental effects on the environment.

    26. Action: (control, economic) threshold: the pest level at which control measures are warranted. When the economic damage to the crop exceeds the cost of control, the use of a control method is justified.

    27. 4. Genetic improvement of crops to resist insects, pests and diseases with improved nutrient use efficiency.

    28. 5. Reliance on animal manures and green manures with minimal input of inorganic fertilizers.

    29.  F. Sustainable Agriculture vs. Organic Farming 1. Sustainable Agriculture: Involves over-coming some of the disadvantages of traditional agricultural production by reducing nutrient, herbicide and pesticide application abuse.

    30. Goal: Maintain long term crop productivity by reducing soil erosion and maintaining or improving water quality through reduced inorganic inputs. Profitability must be maintained for a system to be sustainable.

    31. 2. Organic Farming: No inorganic inputs are used. No agri-chemicals are used in the crop production system. It is difficult to have high production levels without using inorganic inputs. This system isn’t always economically viable.

    32. Goal: Produce chemical free crops that are environmentally friendly.

    33. Common practices used in both: - Crop rotation - IPM - Green manure crops - Manure fertilizer

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