8 - Agricultural Intensification and Environmental Sustainability

Question 1

What are the six key environmental impacts of agriculture?

Answer 1

1. Man-managed vs. Natural ecosystems
2. Application of Science
3. Impacts from Fossil Fuel
4. Impact on Nitrogen Cycle
5. Water Excess and Shortages
6. Contaminants and Pollutants

Question 2

Agriculture is founded on the domestication of ______________ and ___________________.

Answer 2

plant and animal species

Question 3

When did man-managed ecosystems get introduced?

Answer 3

12,000 years ago

Question 4

From the early stages, crop cultivation and livestock raising have impacted natural ecosystems, which included practices of:

Answer 4

• Forests clearing
• Grazing grasslands
• Tilling soils
• Diverting water from rivers and lakes

Question 5

The environmental consequence of agriculture has its roots in the competition for food between ________________ and ________________.

Answer 5

humans and other species

Question 6

What kind of consequences come with increased consumption of meat, eggs and dairy products?

Answer 6

• Conversion of cultivated crop lands to livestock feed production.
• Elevation of methane emissions.
• Animal manures enriching P in water bodies leading to eutrophication.

Question 7

In the last _____ years, the application of science has massively accelerated the process through different technological advances.

Answer 7

150

Question 8

What are two results from the application of science to agriculture?

Answer 8

• Crop Production (monoculture)
• More Intensive (high inputs)

Question 9

How has the agricultural practices impacted the Nitrogen Cycle?

Answer 9

Use of N fertilizer and N fixing plants has increased reactive N, with adverse environmental consequences.

Question 10

_____% of the water extracted from rivers, lake and reservoirs globally is used for agricultural production.

Answer 10

~ 70%

Question 11

What kinds of practices lead to the salinization of soils?

Answer 11

• Interaction with hydrology and hydrogeological cycles
• Over extraction
• Inappropriate irrigation practices

Question 12

How can contaminants and pollutants enter the environment?

Answer 12

Increase in the use of fertilizers, pesticides, antimicrobials which pollutes the environment.

Question 13

What are two ways of reducing environmental consequences of agriculture?

Answer 13

1. Developing production systems that enable more nutritional output (calories proteins, etc.) per unit inputs (area of land or volume of water extracted) - reduces pressure on the resources.
2. Develop systems of production that result in the lowest possible pollutant and net GHG emissions per unit of nutritional output - reduces pollution pre unit produced.

Question 14

What is the primary objective of Sustainable Intensification?

Answer 14

The efficient conversion of solar energy into varied and valued forms of chemical energy.

Question 15

What is a constraint of Sustainable Intensification?

Answer 15

Land availability

Question 16

Provide an example of Sustainable Intensification:

Answer 16

Elevation of milk yields per cow founded on efficient genetic selection, high health status, and optimized nutrition.

Question 17

Define Regenerative Agriculture:

Answer 17

An evolution of conventional agriculture, reducing the use of water and other inputs, and preventing land degradation and deforestation.

Question 18

What does Regenerative Agriculture protect and improve?

Answer 18

Soil health, biodiversity, climate resilience and water resources while making farming more productive and profitable.

Question 19

What are five key considerations when thinking of sustainable agricultural practices?

Answer 19

1. Keep soil covered
2. Maintain living root year round
3. Minimize soil disturbance
4. Maximize crop diversity
5. Integrate livestock