Chapter 5: Land and Water Use

Garrett Hardin

________ wrote "The Tragedy of the Commons "in 1968.

The Tragedy of the Commons

The essay parallels what is happening worldwide in regards to resource depletion and pollution.

decomposition of animal manure

The primary cause of gas emissions from CAFOs is the ___________ being stored in large quantities.

ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and particulate matter

CAFOs release several types of gas emissions—__________.

I = P × A × T

IPAT Formula

CAFOs

________ release several types of gas emissions- ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and particulate matter.

Clear-cutting

It occurs is when all of the trees in an area are cut at the same time

Edge Effect

It refers to how the local environment changes along some type of boundary or edge

Forest edges

These are created when trees are harvested, particularly when they are clear-cut

Tree canopies

It provide the ground below with shade and maintain a cooler and moister environment below

Deforestation

It is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas, which are then used for grain and grass fields mining, petroleum extraction, fuel wood cutting, commercial logging, tree plantations, or urban development

Agricultural productivity

It implies greater output with less input

Desertification

It is the conversion of marginal rangeland or cropland to a more desert-like land type

Overgrazing

A plant is considered overgrazed when it is re-grazed before the roots recover, which can reduce root growth by up to 90%

Fertilizers

It provide plants with the nutrients needed to grow healthy and strong

Inorganic Fertilizers

A fertilizer mined from mineral deposits or manufactured from synthetic compounds

Organic Fertilizers

Any Any fertilizer that originates from an organic source, such as bone meal, compost, fish extracts, manure, or seaweed

Genetically modified foods

These are foods produced from organisms both animal and plant) that have had changes introduced into their DNA

Genetic engineering techniques

These allow for the introduction of new traits as well as greater control over traits when compared to previous methods

Rangelands

These are native grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals

Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

It is a widely used method of growing food or clearing land in which wild or forested land is clear-cut and any remaining vegetation is burned

Soil Erosion

It is the movement of weathered rock or soil components from one place to another and is caused by flowing water, wind, and human activity

Soil degradation

It is the decline in soil condition caused by its improper use or poor management, usually for agricultural, industrial, or urban purposes

Desertification

Productive potential of arid or semiarid land falls by at least 10% due to human activity and/or climate change

Salinization

Water that is not absorbed into the soil evaporates, leaving behind dissolved salts in topsoil

Waterlogging

Saturation of soil with water, resulting in a rise in the water table

Tillage

An agricultural method in which the surface is plowed and broken up to expose the soil, which is then smoothed and planted

Irrigation

The application of controlled amounts of water to plants at needed intervals and has been a necessary component of agriculture for over 5,000 years

Ditch

Dug and seedlings are planted in rows

Drip

Water is delivered at the root zone of a plant through small tubes that drip water at a measured rate

Flood

Water is pumped or brought to the fields and is allowed to flow along the ground among the crops

Furrow (Channel)

Small parallel channels are dug along the field length in the direction of the predominant slope

Spray

Uses overhead sprinklers, sprays or guns to spray water onto crops

Pesticides

These can be used to control pests, but their use has drawbacks

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

It is an ecologically based approach to control pests

Biological Pesticides

Living organisms used to control pests

Carbamates

Also known as urethanes, affect the nervous system of pests, which results in the swelling of tissue in the pest

Fumigants

These are used to sterilize soil and prevent pest infestation of stored grain

Inorganic pesticides

These are broad-based pesticides that include arsenic, copper, lead, and mercury

Organic pesticides

These are natural poisons derived from plants such as tobacco or chrysanthemum

Organophosphates

These are extremely toxic but remain in the environment for only a brief time

Persistent organic pollutants (POPS)

These organic compounds can pass through and accumulate in living organisms' fatty tissues because they don't break down chemically or biologically

Pesticide resistance

It describes the decreased susceptibility of a pest population to a pesticide that was previously effective at controlling the pest

Pest species

They evolve pesticide resistance via natural selection

Pesticide Treadmill

Also known as pest traps; farmers are forced to use more and more toxic chemicals to control pesticide-resistant insects and weeds

Intercropping

A farming method that involves planting or growing more than one crop at the same time and on the same piece of land

Polyculture

The simultaneous cultivation or raising of several crops or types of animals

Genetic resistance

An inherited change in the genetic makeup of the pests that confers a selective survival advantage

CAFO

It is an intensive animal feeding operation in which large numbers of animals are confined in feeding pens for over 45 days a year

Aquaculture

Mariculture or fish farming

Mining

Removing mineral resource from the ground

Dredging

A method for mining below the water table and usually associated with gold mining

In situ

Small holes are drilled into the Earth and toxic chemical solvents are injected to extract the resource

Mountaintop removal

Removal of mountaintops to expose coal seams and disposing of associated mining overburden in adjacent "valley fills"

Open pit

Extracting rock or minerals from the Earth by their removal from an open pit when deposits of commercially useful ore or rocks are found near the surface

Strip mining

Exposes coal by removing the soil above each coal seam

Blast

Uses explosives to break up the seam, after which the material is loaded onto conveyors and transported to a processing center

Longwall

Uses a rotating drum with "teeth," which is pulled back and forth across a coal seam-the material then breaks loose and is transported to the surface

Room and pillar

Approximately half of the coal is left in place as pillars to support the roof of the active mining area

Urbanization

It refers to the movement of people from rural areas to cities and the changes that accompany it

Urban Sprawl

Also known as suburban, describesthe expansion of human populations away from central urban areas into low-density and usually car-dependent communities

Job sprawl

It has low-density, geographically spread-out employment patterns, with most jobs in a metropolitan area outside the central business district and increasingly in the suburbs

Single-use development

Separate commercial, residential, institutional, and industrial areas

Smart growth

It promotes compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, neighborhood schools, and mixed-use development with a variety of housing options to slow urban sprawl and concentrate growth in compact, walkable "urban villages."

Adopting mixed-use planning

Combining residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, and/or industrial uses in a specific location

Urban development

It is the process of designing and shaping the physical features of cities and towns with the goal of making urban areas more attractive, functional, and sustainable

Urban runoff

It is surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization

Ecological Footprint

A measure of human demand on Earths ecosystems and is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planets ecological capacity to regenerate

Sustainability

It refers to the capacity for the biosphere and human civilization to coexist through the balance of resources within their environment

Sustainable agriculture

It emphasizes profitable, environmentally friendly, energy-efficient production and food systems that improve farmers' and the public's quality of life

Contour plowing

Plowing along the contours of the land in order to minimize soil erosion

No-till agriculture

Soil is left undisturbed by tillage and the residue is left on the soil surface

Planting perennial crops

Perennials live for several years; e.g., fruit trees

Strip cropping

Cultivation in which different crops are sown in alternate strips

Terracing

Make or form (sloping land) into a number of level flat areas resembling a series of steps

Windbreaks

Rows of trees that provide shelter or protection from the wind

single-family homes

Most housing is ________ on large lots with fewer stories than city homes, farther apart, and separated by lawns, landscaping, or roads.

Mining

Can involve underground mines, drilling, room-and-pillar mining, long-wall mining, open pit, dredging, contour strip mining, and mountaintop removal.

First Green Revolution

The introduction of inorganic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, new irrigation methods, and disease-resistant, high-yielding crop seeds.

Second Agricultural Revolution

In the mid-1980s, new engineering techniques and free-trade agreements involving food production property rights shaped agricultural policies and food production and distribution systems worldwide.

Second Agricultural Revolution

This revolution saw the development and spread of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)—animals, plants, and microorganisms—with genes that don't exist in nature.

Third Agricultural Revolution

Mechanization such as tractors and combines requires less labor and makes food prices more affordable.

Third Agricultural Revolution

Scientific farming methods such as biotechnology, genetic engineering, and the use of pesticides are now beginning to focus on more sustainable methods.

Second Agricultural Revolution

• Occurred at the same time as the Industrial Revolution—mechanization had a major role in this revolution and changed the way people farmed.

• Advances were made in breeding livestock.

• Increased agricultural output made it possible to feed large, urban populations.

• Methods of soil preparation, fertilization, crop care, and harvesting improved.

Second Agricultural Revolution

• New banking and lending practices helped farmers afford new equipment and seed.

• New crops came into Europe from trade with the Americas.

• Railroads allowed distribution of products.

• The invention of the seed drill allowed farmers to avoid wasting seeds and to plant in rows.

First Agricultural Revolution

• People went from hunting and gathering to the domestication of plants and animals, which allowed people to settle in areas and create cities.

• Settled communities permitted people to observe and experiment with plants to learn how they grow and develop.