Problems with the modern agricultural system.
Due to a concoction of irresponsible, shortsighted and cheap practices, conventional agriculture is extremely environmentally damaging and unsustainable. These practices are numerous and all contribute to agricultures unsustainability in different ways. They will be explored in the following paragraphs. The first practice that will be discussed is monoculture. Monoculture is growing a single crop on large plots of land. This is done because it is cheaper than growing a variety of crops, although at the cost of biodiversity. It is also the perfect environment for pests and diseases that could easily infect and ruin the entire crop.
To overcome the problem of monoculture, more negative practices are implemented, such as the heavy use of pesticides and herbicides. Pretty (2005, p4) argues that this heavy use of pesticides and herbicides is the leading factor in environmental and health problems caused by modern agriculture. In 2004, pesticide use was at 2.56 billion kg per year and rising. This is a dramatic increase over the last 50 years. These chemicals are toxic to wildlife and kill beneficial insects, fish, birds, frogs, earthworms and micro-organisms, clearly having a profoundly negative effect on the environment. Weeds and pests are developing an immunity to these chemicals over time, resulting in more chemicals being sprayed more frequently. This cycle will continue to repeat over time, causing a growing amount of environmental and health problems. These chemicals can also be harmful to humans, especially the farmers working with them. It can result in long lasting chemical toxicity that can lead to cancers and diseases of the nervous system.
Another major problem with modern agriculture is the use of heavy machinery. The first problem with this is that this heavy machinery relies on unsustainable fossil fuels to operate. This contributes to the farms carbon footprint and to climate change. This also means that once peak oil is reached, fuel will become much more expensive, radically driving up food prices. Secondly, heavy machinery packs down the soil and makes the soil infertile. Large animals that are not adequately rotated between paddocks can also have this effect. Lastly, heavy machinery is also used for ploughing. Ploughing with heavy machinery saves on labour costs and controls weeds. This is a common practice in monocultural production. It is also extremely detrimental to the soil. By turning over the top layer of the soil, ploughing destroys vital micro-organisms that create soil fertility. Ploughed fields are also susceptible to erosion. Rain washes away the topsoil, which is a non-renewable resource for agriculture. This washed away topsoil spills into waterways, polluting them with excessive nutrients, promoting algae growth. This excess algae uses up large amounts of oxygen which is necessary for other aquatic species to survive.
When the micro-organisms that create soil fertility are destroyed, soil fertility must be created through a different process. In the modern agricultural system, this is usually done through the use of synthetic fertilisers. These artificial fertilisers also destroy any micro-organisms that may be left in the soil and turns it acidic. These artificially fertilised soils are the reason why the topsoil runoff in modern agriculture is so dangerous.
Another major problem caused by the modern agricultural system is salinity. Leahy (2008) describes salinity as follows: “With irrigation, a constant supply of water causes the water table to rise. Salts lower down dissolve and rise to the surface. A salt pan inhibits the growth of plants. This effect is extremely hard to reverse and the irrigated area becomes a useless desert”. There is also another form of salinity known as dryland salinity. This is when land has been cleared, and rainfall travels freely down a slope, creating a water table and therefore salinity. This can be avoided by deep-rooted tree species, which are consistently uprooted to make room for commercial farms.
Environmental harm caused from the modern agriculture system is not restricted to farm activity. Food transport and storage also use large amounts of fossil fuels. The average distance that food has to travel to reach the plate of a US citizen is 2000 kilometers. The packaging of food also creates large environmental problems by producing unnecessary amounts of plastic, aluminium and paper.
As the above paragraphs outline, the modern agricultural system will eventually lead to an economic crash and a food crisis. To overcome the problems of the current system, some alternative systems have been developed. Support these systems. As consumers, we cast a vote with every dollar that we spend, so vote for sustainability and environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
Sources:
Sustainable Agriculture’, in Environmental Science and Policy 55: 266-273.
Gunther, F. (2004) ‘Ruralisation a Way to Alleviate Vulnerability Problems’, In Ortega, E. & Ulgiati, S. (editors): Proceedings of IV Biennial International Workshop “Advances In Energy Studies”. Unicamp, Campinas, SP, Brazil. June 16-19, p. 37-64
Jordan, N. R. and Davis A. S. (2015) ‘Middle-Way Strategies for Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture’, in BioScience 65: 513-519.
Leahy, T. (2008), ‘Unsustainable Food Production: Its Social Origins and Alternatives’, in John Germov & Lauren Williams (eds), A Sociology of Food and Nutrition: The Social Appetite, Oxford Press, pp. 58-77.
Pretty, J. (2005) ‘Sustainability in Agriculture: Recent Progress and Emergent Challenges’, Issues in Environmental Science and Technology 21, p. 1-15
