Controlling Soil Fertility Essay -- Agriculture Farming Essays

Controlling Soil Fertility Approximately 2 billion hectares of land, 17% of the total vegetated area of the earth has been degraded for agricultural purposes since 1945 (Oldeman et al., 1990). Oldeman et al. (1990) classify about half of this degraded area as still permitting agricultural use, but with greatly reduced productivity, and in the rest no agriculture is deemed possible. The causes of this degradation are overgrazing (35%), agricultural activities (28%), deforestation (30%), over exploitation (7%) and industrialization (1%). Wind and water erosion are the principal mechanisms of this soil degradation, accounting for about 56% and 28% respectively of the total; 12% is attributable to chemical degradation (due to insufficient manure and fertilizer returned to cropped areas, salinization by unwise irrigation or drainage, soil acidification not corrected by liming, and pollution caused by industrial and other urban uses) and the remaining 4% is physical degradation from compaction or flooding. (Oldeman et al., 1990) Moreover, it has become increasingly evident that although crop yields seem to be increasing, they are increasing at a decreasing rate. Krauss and Allmaras (1982) argue that this is largely due to the fact that in many areas, poor soil management is leading to soil degradation which is ignored as long as crop yields continue to rise. Technological advances such as improved cultivation systems, irrigation and pest control mask the negative effects of poor soil management on crop yields (Krauss and Allmaras, 1982, p85). What are the factors that contribute to the suitability of a soil for agricultural purposes? To what extent can people control these factors to halt soil degradation and maintain, enha... ..., L.R., V.W.P van Engelen, and J.H.M. Pulles. 1990. The extent of human induced soil degradation. Annex 5 of World Man of the Status of Human-Induced Soil Degradation: An Explanatory Note, rev. 2nd edn., International Soil Reference and Information Center, Wageningen, Netherlands as cited by J.Schnoor and V. Thomas, 1994, Soil as a Vulnerable Environmental System pp233-44 in R. Socolow, C. Andrews, F. Berkhour and V. Thomas (eds.), Industrial Ecology and Global Change: Cambridge University Press. Robinson, C.A., R.M. Cruse, and K.A. Kohler, 1994, Soil Management, pp 109-134 in J.L. Hatfield and D.L. Karlen (eds.) Sustainable Agricultural Systems: Boca Raton, Florida, Lewis Publishers, 316pp. USGS, 1988, Essential Elements and Soil Amendments for Plants: Sources and use for agriculture: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1017, U.S. Government Printing Office, 48pp

The Threats Of Increasing Global Warming Environmental Sciences Essay

Global heating, besides referred to as the nursery consequence, is the ageless addition in the mean temperature of the Earth ‘s near-surface and oceans. It has been one of the environment ‘s and worlds ‘ greatest menaces for the last decennary. Its chief menaces are the additions of the mean temperature of the Earth, rises in sea degrees, and climate alteration among others and in the most utmost instance, it could kill all of us along with the terminal of the universe. In the old old ages, emanations of nursery gases in the ambiance were balanced out by those that were of course absorbed.A As a consequence, nursery gases concentrations have been reasonably stable giving a consistent clime and thereby keeping even planetary temperatures. However, with the usage of more and more energy and resources over clip, the Earth can non absorb the extra pollutants any longer and they are hence retained in the ambiance and this causes major jobs as explained below. First, air pollution is one of the chief causes of planetary heating. The latter is caused by human activities affecting the inordinate usage of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, crude oil and natural gas among others, to bring forth electricity, heat our places, power our mills and run our cars.A These fossil fuels contain C which is released when they are burned, they the combine with O to organize C dioxide in the ambiance. Greenhouse gases are besides released ; viz. C dioxide, methane, azotic oxide and fluorocarbons. Carbon dioxide is the most harmful one to the nature since it is the gas with the higher concentration in our planet. Harmonizing to the statistics of the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Centre, there have been a rise in the C dioxide concentration of more than 2 parts per million during the twelvemonth 2001 and 2005[ 1 ]. The extra nursery gases stay in the ambiance and these act as a shield, which reflect all the sunshine energy back to the Earth taking to overh eating. In other words, sunshine is let through the ambiance and the reflected sunshine beams are kept at bay interior. Furthermore, there is the inordinate usage of man-made merchandises which contain Cl, F and C. There is besides methane which is released from landfills and agribusiness, azotic oxide from fertilisers, vehicles and gases used for infrigidation and industrial procedures C dioxide. These destroy our ozone bed, either by diminishing its thickness or by doing holes in it. We can non afford the depletion of the ozone bed, since it protects the Earth and us from high UV radiation. As a consequence of this, extremely energetic solar beams get straight into contact with the Earth, and merely a few of its energy has been absorbed by the ozone bed. Together with the pollutants that are already blocked in the ambiance, this intense energy is trapped in bend indoors as explained above. The Environment Agency reports show that there has been an addition of about 2 Degrees Celsius of in the Earth ‘s mean temperature since 2002[ 2 ] Furthermore, another great cause of planetary heating is deforestation which involves the cutting down trees to supply land infinite for agricultural intents or building intents among others. In proficient footings, the trees absorb C dioxide and release oxygen.A This procedure occurs of course by photosynthesis, which occurs less and less as we cut and burn down trees.A As the copiousness of trees diminutions, less C dioxide can be recycled.A As they are burned down, more C is released into the air, adding to the nursery consequence. In other words, C dioxide is being added to the ambiance at a faster rate than photosynthesis can take the extra gas with deforestation. The research conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, some 13 million hectares of woods worldwide are lost every twelvemonth and deforestation represents about 30 % of the nursery gases emitted yearly[ 3 ]. This loss is important to climate alteration, because life on Earth is C based ; trees build themselves with the C dioxide that would otherwise heat our ambiance. Forests act as a mammoth sponge, conserving H2O. They shade and moderate temperature, shelter beings from air current and cold, and bring forth nutrient for us.[ 4 ] Coupled with these, there are some other minor causes of the nursery consequence, viz. : cowss rise uping, rice cultivation, heavy dumping in the landfills and H2O, the usage in of pesticides and insect powders that contain toxic chemicals, dust produced from rock crushers, escape in atomic industries and volcanic eruptions among the legion others. As we have seen so far, human existences every bit good as engineering are the chief perpetrators for the bad status of the environment today and we are the lone 1 that can work out it, if non cut down it to let the endurance of the future coevals. The impacts of planetary heating are immense as good and they are really harmful in the long tally. We have already witnessed it and it is acquiring worse. However, there can be a 2nd ice age if the Earth does non warm up at all and this can be regarded as the lone â€Å" benefit † of planetary heating. In the visible radiation of the above, we can reason that planetary heating, which is speed uping, which is a human-created phenomenon that is really unsafe and must be reduced. In brief, planetary heating is the release of nursery gases in the ambiance ensuing into the nursery consequence. They are formed chiefly due human activities that pollute the air, big graduated table cutting down of woods and the usage of CFC merchandises and are doing more nursery gases, particularly C dioxide, to construct up quickly in the ambiance. There is an pressing demand to cut down the emanation of these gases ; the maximal humanly possible. While authoritiess debate for actions, nature Teachs humanity this lesson: Earth is heating up, drastic alterations can happen any clip every bit shortly as a certain threshold is exceeded and it is clip for us, great and strong people, to pay attending and react and neutralise this phenomenon called planetary heating. The quicker we can respond and the more em anation we can forestall, the better it is since the Earth is alone.

Essay about Voices of Freedom - 1053 Words

Voices of Freedom Critique This selection, Letter by a Female Indentured Servant, really gives you incite as to what life was like in the 1700s as an indentured servant. (Foner, 2011) The reader can really feel the pain she is going through while she was in America trying to pay her dues for passage to what they thought was the promise land. She wanted to ensure her father really knew what kind of horrible life she was living because of the details she included like she was whipped to the degree that she now serves the animals. Apparently, you didn’t speak of the horrible things that would occur as an indentured servant because she writes to her father that she hopes he will pardon the boldness of her complaints and she also hope†¦show more content†¦These two letters are taken from two very different perspectives and shows you how some people were treated inhumane and some were treated very kindly depending on their social statuses in the 1700s. In the except from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, he did not talk about the horrible treatment of a slave like beatings they would receive or how they were not fed but rather how they were ripped away from their family and friends. . (Foner, 2011) The author wanted the reader to realize that they were parted from family and friends because of the greed of the white man and that this is the new refinement in cruelty during those times. He made it known that the only positive aspect of being a slave was at least they were able to be with their friends and family, but now the white man had taken that away. He is asking the white men to live up to their perceived belief in liberty and that all men are created equal according to their god. He also is asking, why the African people should give up their comfort of being together because the white men want their luxuries. In the excerpt taken from Pontiac, Speeches the author makes it known that the Indians were not back ing down from the Englishmen because they were before the Englishmen and their ancestors had passed down the land to them. . (Foner, 2011) TheShow MoreRelatedvoices of freedom paper1432 Words   |  6 Pagespoints summarize the contents of chapter five of â€Å"Voices of Freedom† and â€Å"Give Me Liberty†. The articles in voices of freedom that are arguing the primary points the first article is the â€Å"Virginia Resolutions on the Stamp Act (1765)†. This article is about Virginia’s House of Burgesses making resolutions to defend their liberty they decided to approve four of these resolutions and rejected three. The next article is â€Å"New York Workingmen Demand a Voice in the Revolutionary Struggle (1770)†. This articleRead MoreVoice of Freedom Notes Essay2481 Words   |  10 PagesFourth Oration Chastised Americans saying that they have not lived up to the American Constitution. He says the American Revolution will lead to examples of freedom around the world. He also condemned slavery as a violation of American values and a shame. The speech was an example of American Nationalism and the limits of American Freedom after the Revolution. 44. Thomas Jefferson on Race and Slavery. Jefferson shares his view on slavery. Jefferson obviously seems torn on the subject. He questionsRead MoreAnalysis Of Eric Foner, Olaudah Equiano In Voices Of Freedom864 Words   |  4 Pages Eric Foner, Olaudah Equiano on Slavery (1789), In Voices of Freedom, Vol 1, Page 65. In this excerpt you are introduced to a young African boy, Olaudau Equiano, who begins to describe his everyday life before being captured. Olaudau, who is the youngest of six sons but not the youngest child, who in which is his sister. As a child, he was raised and trained in both agriculture and war, receiving a great deal of emblems in javelin throwing and shooting. 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Freedom of speech is the right to voice your opinion on certain topics or dilemmas around you. This basic right given to us in the First Amendment is being challenged by colleges who encourage â€Å"freedom of speech† with certain restrictions. In the two videos provided by FIRE, certain situations where students’ basic rights were violated were shown. In the first video presented by FIRE, I was very surprised to learn that someRead MoreThe American Liberty And Freedom944 Words   |  4 Pageswe have seen how American liberty and freedom is always centered on the dominant white male image. As time continues on those of minority decent have had work twice as hard to receive the same level of equality as all whites both male and female. Women and African Americans have struggled much more because back then white men believed that they couldn’t be trusted and that they were not worthy of holding power. 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