Agriculture
Roles, Relation To Other topics, and Effects On My Life
Agriculture and Its Role In The Lithosphere
As a human race, we depend on agriculture for our survival. It is essential for us to receive the nutrients we need from this practice.
However, abuse to this practice can potentially cause destruction to the Lithosphere.
Over-Grazing
This is where the lithosphere is broken down by grazing animals and left with no vegetation to protect it from erosion. This eventually causes farmland to become infertile.
Poisoning With Pesticides
This causes the soil quality in the Lithosphere to be essentially destroyed. It is not only harming this layer, but it is harming humanity as a whole.
Humans Are Constantly Paving Over Soil
In order to meet industrial needs, humans have been single-handedly destroying farmland. Instead of creating more land for which agriculture practices may thrive on, we are destroying it and potentially our survival, for more buildings, roads, and homes to exist.
There are ways to counter-act this destruction and sustain a better lithosphere through better agricultural practices.
Crop Rotation
This avoids the unintended consequences of putting the same plants in the same soil every year. It is a key element of the permanent and effective solution to pest problems (less pesticide use).
Soil Enrichment
Good soils allow for improvement in yields and it produces crops that are less vulnerable to pests. Abused soils require heavy fertilizer application to produce high yields.
Covering Crops
The planting of cover crops helps farmers achieve the goals of preventing soil erosion, suppressing weeds, and essentially enhancing the soil quality.
How Agriculture Relates To Other Topics We Have Learned
Erosion
The malpractice of agriculture can lead to soil drifting away by erosion. Barren exposure to the air with little to no vegetation protection leads to erosion, which makes agricultural practices nearly impossible (unless you are trying to grow cacti). In order to maintain fertile soil, it is important for it all to stay in one place.
Deforestation
Farmers need to make money. In order to make this money, they need more farmland. In order to have more farmland they often burn/cut-down forests. The land eventually becomes completely barren. Deforestation is one of the main causes of climate change in the world.
How Agriculture Has a Direct Effect On My Life
Obviously, without agriculture I probably would not be able to type this. Humanity would cease to exist without it being our food source. I also look down at my clothing and realize that it is made of cotton, which comes from agricultural practices. I then begin to think about truly how many materials I use everyday that come from agriculture. Agriculture directly impacts our lives in such obvious ways that we tend lack appreciation for its value in our lives.
How Agriculture Has An Indirect Effect On My Life
If agriculture did not exist our industry would not exist. It is the backbone of our imports/exports. We need it to economically thrive in the world. Therefore, through a chain of events, my family could become poor if our economy is struggling. To sum it up, our economy depends on agriculture, and my family's income depends on U.S. economical stature.