Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
what is good/bad about industrial CCAFO’s?
Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) offer efficient and cost-effective mass production of animal products, contributing to economic growth and consistent supply. However, they raise environmental, animal welfare, and public health concerns due to pollution, antibiotic use, ethical issues, and the potential for disease outbreaks.
Drip Irrigation
Pipes with small holes are buried in the ground. Water drips directly on to roots of plants.
Advantages: only 5% of water lost to evaporation, helps reduce nutrient leaching
Disadvantages: most expensive irrigation system, sediment can clog pipes easily, requires mechanization, not good for fields that require annual tilling
Spray Irrigation
Water sprayed out of nozzle or pumps directly on plants
Center-pivot most common
Advantages: precision application which can be programmed, can add supplements to water
Disadvantages: larger upfront costs, machinery to run system may run on fossil fuels, sediment can clog nozzles, pivot systems can wear ruts in soil, 25% of water lost to evaporation
Furrow Irrigation
Trenches are dug in field and flooded with water
Advantages- easy to dig, better precision with water amounts
Disadvantages: not good with sandy soil, can’t add small amounts of water, 33% of water lost to evaporation, soil erosion
Flood Irrigation
Water is diverted to flood an agricultural field
Advantages: relies on gravity, inexpensive
Disadvantages: reduces water available for wildlife, limited on types of agriculture, land must be graded to allow water flow, 20% of water lost to evaporation, risk of waterlogging and/or salinization of soil
rangelands
produces meat from grazing livestock
supplies about 16% of the world’s food
industrialized agriculture
produce single monoculture crops or livestock animals for sale. (grains, cotton, rice, sugar…)
uses large amounts of fossil fuel energy, water, commercial fertilizers, and pesticides
Practiced mostly in developed countries
Consumes about ¼ of all cropland
vertical farming
This approach aims to maximize space efficiency, conserve resources, and enable year-round, controlled cultivation (90% of crops harvested) and has zero pesticides
traditional farming
80% of soil is in use and only 50% of crops are harvested (less efficient kind of farming)
plantation agriculture
form of industrialized agriculture used primarily in tropical developing countries.
Involves growing cash crops (like bananas, coffee, soybeans, cocoa) on large monoculture plantations, mostly for sale in developed countries
human activities that increase soil erosion
ATV use
logging
farming
overgrazing of livestock
construction
salinization
gradual build up of salts in soil. Caused by irrigation
Traditional Intensive Agriculture:
Conventional farming practices that involve high inputs of labor, fertilizer, and water to maximize crop yields.
Subsistence Agriculture:
Farming primarily for personal or local community needs, with minimal surplus for sale.
Monoculture:
Growing a single crop species over a large area, which can increase vulnerability to pests and diseases.
Polyculture:
Growing multiple crop species in the same area to promote biodiversity and reduce the risk of crop failure.
Domestication:
The process of taming and selectively breeding plants and animals for human use.
Selective Breeding:
The intentional breeding of organisms with desirable traits to produce offspring with those traits.
Green Revolution:
A period of significant increase in agricultural productivity, marked by the development and widespread use of high-yielding crop varieties and modern farming techniques.
Genetic Engineering:
Manipulating an organism's genes to achieve desired traits.
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO):
An organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.
Longline Fishing:
Fishing using a long line with baited hooks.
Purse Seine Net:
A large net deployed around a school of fish, then drawn closed at the bottom to encircle and capture the fish.
Trawl Fishing:
Dragging a large net through the water to catch fish.
Drift Net:
A net that drifts freely in the water to catch fish
Bycatch:
Unintentional catch of non-target species during fishing.
Aquaculture:
Farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.
Desertification:
The process by which fertile land becomes increasingly arid and unproductive.
Waterlogging:
Excessive water in the soil, leading to poor aeration and nutrient uptake by plants.
Soil Compaction:
Compression of soil particles, reducing pore spaces and affecting water and nutrient movement
Intercropping:
Growing different crops in close proximity to enhance resource use and reduce pests.
Conservation Tillage:
Minimal soil disturbance during planting to reduce erosion and conserve soil.
Crop Rotation:
Alternating the types of crops grown in a specific field to enhance soil fertility and reduce pests.
Contour Plowing:
Plowing along the contour lines of the land to reduce soil erosion.
Strip Plowing:
Plowing in strips, leaving some vegetation between strips to reduce erosion.
Terracing:
Creating level platforms on steep terrain to reduce soil erosion.
Shelterbelt:
A line of trees or shrubs planted to protect fields from wind and reduce soil erosion.
Agroforestry:
Integrating trees and shrubs into agricultural systems to provide ecological and economic benefits.
Pest:
Organisms that interfere with human activities, often in agriculture.
Pesticide:
Chemical substances used to control pests.
Insecticide:
Pesticides specifically designed to target and control insects.
Herbicide:
Pesticides designed to control or kill plants.
Fungicide:
Pesticides used to control fungal diseases
Rodenticide:
Pesticides designed to control rodents.
Botanical:
Pesticides derived from plants.
Coevolution:
The reciprocal evolutionary influence between two interacting species.
Chlorinated Hydrocarbon:
Chemical compounds containing chlorine, often used as pesticides.
Organophosphate:
A class of pesticides that affect the nervous system of pests.
Carbamate:
A type of pesticide that interferes with the nervous system of pests.
Genetic Resistance:
The ability of some organisms to withstand the effects of a pesticide due to inherited traits.
Pesticide Treadmill:
The cycle of increasing pesticide use as pests develop resistance.
Integrated Pest Management:
A sustainable approach to pest control that combines biological, cultural, and chemical methods.
Biological Control:
Using natural predators, parasites, or pathogens to control pests.
Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act:
Legislation regulating food safety, drug, and cosmetic products in the United States.
Delaney Clause:
A provision in U.S. law prohibiting the approval of food additives shown to cause cancer.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act:
U.S. legislation regulating the sale and use of pesticides.
Food Quality Protection Act:
U.S. legislation amending pesticide regulations to ensure food safety.
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants:
An international treaty aimed at eliminating or restricting the use of persistent organic pollutants.
Ecological footprint:
The measure of human impact on the environment in terms of resource consumption and waste production.
IPAT:
An equation (Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology) representing the factors influencing environmental impact.
Sustainability:
Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Tragedy of the Commons:
The degradation of shared resources due to individuals acting in their self-interest.
Surface Mining:
Extracting minerals from the Earth's surface.
Open-pit Mining:
Removing minerals from an open pit or excavation.
Dredging:
Excavating underwater deposits using a machine
Area Strip Mining:
Removing a strip of overlying soil and rock to access a mineral seam.
Contour Mining:
Extracting minerals on a hilly or mountainous terrain following the contour lines.
Mountaintop Removal:
Removing the top of a mountain to access coal seams.
Subsurface Mining:
Extracting minerals from underground deposits.
Overburden:
Material covering a mineral deposit that must be removed to access the minerals.
Spoil Bank:
Piles of waste material from mining operations.
Smelting:
Extracting metal from its ore by heating and melting.
Acid Mine Drainage:
The release of acidic water from mining sites, often containing harmful metals.
Tailings:
Residue from mining operations, often in the form of slurry
Reclamation:
The process of restoring land to its original or improved condition after mining.
Subsidence:
The sinking or settling of the ground surface due to mining activities.
Saltwater Intrusion:
The movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers.
Water Diversion:
Redirecting water from its natural course for various purposes.
Desalinization:
The process of removing salt and other impurities from seawater to make it suitable for drinking or irrigation.
Distillation:
A desalination method involving the evaporation and condensation of water.
Reverse Osmosis:
A desalination process that separates salt and impurities from water using a semi-permeable membrane.
Channelization:
Modifying natural watercourses for navigation or flood control.
Xeriscaping:
Landscaping design focused on water conservation and drought-resistant plants