Consequences of Agriculture Info Cards

some are vocab; not all... use as flashcards

Effect: Reductions in animal and bird species

Cause: Aerosol sprays of pesticides getting into natural env. and killing insects, therefore killing the animals that eat the insects

Effect: Problems with human health

Cause: Pesticides can cause hormone disorders, skin/neurological diseases, and some cancers to the farmers working with them

Effect: Death of marine life and making water somewhat toxic

Cause: Pesticides and fertilizer make it into water via runoff. Pesticides kill aquatic species, fertilizer makes the water toxic and start algae bloom

Effect: Decreasing vegetation, soil erosion

Cause: Cattle grazing due to deforestation

Effect: Increase of carbon dioxide in environment

Cause: Deforestation via gas-powered machinery

Effect: Desertification

Cause: Overuse of a plot of land until it can’t keep crops alive anymore

Effect: Land is more barren and can’t keep crops alive as well

Cause: Soil salinization (too much salt in the soil). Salt kills soil-dwelling organisms and kills crops

Cause: Shifting Cultivation

Effect:

• different vegetation grows when the forest and vegetation grows back

• pollutes air

Cause: Terracing

Effect: simply very noticeable

Cause: pastoralism (nomadic herding)

Effect: soil erosion.

• type of subsistence farming; subsistence is being pushed to small lands

• less land = reuse of land is more prevalent

• herds typically eat grass

• lack of grass = soil erodes

Cause: use of irrigation tech

Effects:

• drains water out of places

  • destroying habitats of animals

• brings water more places

  • increases use of land

• groundwater extraction

  • creates circular fields

Effect: Change in consumer diets

Cause:

• fruits/vegetables eaten more because they could be transported further

• poultry consumption over beef due to health concerns

Effect: Women began to leave farming for urban jobs

Cause: Mechanization reduces need for women (or anyone, really) in agriculture

Cause: Using agricultural products to make non-food (corn as biofuel)

Effect:

• expanded output

  • corn acreage went up

  • corn production went up

• negatively affected poor

Dead Zones

sections of a body of water where there is very little aquatic life

Deforestation

clearing and destruction of forests to clear land for agriculture use

Water Control Land Reclamation

the process of draining land inundated with either fresh water or salt water to increase areas for agricultural production

Irrigated Agriculture

farming that relies on the controlled application of water to cultivated fields

Aquifier

underground water deposited hundreds of thousands of years ago