Mass Cropping: A Solution to Global Food Security & Threat to Ecosystem - Essay Sample

Introduction

Mass cropping is part of the solution to global food security and a threat to the ecosystem. This method of farming is associated with intensive agriculture, whereby farmers or organizations use substantial labor and capital to obtain high yield per unit area of land. The main driver of intensive farming is the ongoing population growth. According to Shiva, the world population inthe early 2000s was projected to double was expected to double by 2030 (12).With an increase in the human population, the demand for food is continually increasing. The production of food is likely to increase by half in the next ten years, to sustain a population projected to surpass the 10 billion mark by 2050 (Harvey). Mass cropping was introduced as a way to food security.While this method has proved to be effective, it has detrimental impacts on the environment. Intensive farming involves the use of agrochemicals, which affect the agroecosystem and pollute the environment. Moreover, it affects the soil structure, thereby undermining its fertility (Doso 67). Therefore, farmers should adopt eco-friendly agricultural solutions to maintain a balance within the ecosystem, and to minimize environmental pollution.

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Factors Promoting Intensive Farming

Population growth is the primary cause of mass cropping. The global population curve rose steadily over the past centuries. This trend is not expected to change; instead, the growth is becoming more rapid (Doso 67; Kanianska 2; Shiva 12). Consequently, food demand is continually increasing. To meet the global need for large volumes of affordable food, farmers and organizations are shifting to intensive agriculture, which involves extensive use of capital and labor relative to yield per unit area of land. This method has been reliable and competent. However, despite its benefits to human beings,mass cropping has visible adverse effects on the environment.

While the population is increasing, people need food at low costs (Harvey). This puts farmers and corporate food producers at a relatively disadvantaged position since they have to produce higher yields at a lower cost. Consequently, they plant more in the available land and use agrochemicals to boost food production, which are some of the defining characteristics of mass cropping.

In the contemporary world, farming land is scarce. According to Harvey, by 2050, the increasing food demand will require at least twice the landmass used in crop farming in India, for example. Hence, farmers and organizations maximize the use of the available land through mass cropping. One of the solutions to this problem would be clearing forests to extend farming land. However, this approach would be problematic due to its contribution to climate change.

Effects of Mass Cropping on the Ecosystem

Mass cropping results in land degradation, hence affecting the soil structure; this results in further environmental implications. Some of the indicators of this problem are soil erosion and the depletion of minerals (Shiva 13). Poor soil structure causes poor drainage, which affects the viability of plants. Moreover, the same issue is associate with reduced response to fertilizers and lower nutrients cycling rates (Mózner et al. 60). Comprehensively, these factors reduce soil fertility. Hence, the high costs involved in intensive farming result in minimal yields, which amounts to financial loss.

Mass cropping involves the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other agrochemicals. These chemicals are toxic to the organisms living in the soil. Consequently, they cause their death, leading to loss of biodiversity. Also, the agrochemicals affect the soil physicochemical properties, resulting in the replant problem – the vast array of soil-borne factors that affect crop performance(Li et al. 2). Nevertheless, agrochemicals have more effects on the environment.

The use of fertilizers can increase the nutrient content in the soil, which might cause eutrophication – dense growth of plant life due to richness in nutrients near water bodies (Kanianska 3). While eutrophication might not affect farming land, it has immense impacts on water bodies and marine life. The plants can deplete the dissolved oxygen, leaving none for fish and other sea creatures. Moreover, this problem results in an elevated pH level of water, making the water inhabitable for marinelife. A similar effect occurs when fertilizers are introduced to water bodies since they consume oxygen in the water in chemical processes (Kanianska 3).

Fertilizers and other chemicals used in agriculture are usually potassium, nitrogen, or phosphorous-based. If not appropriately managed, such components contribute to the pollution of groundwater. For example, nitrate-based fertilizers cause nitrate leaching, which affects water in the soil, leading to low crop yields (Beaudoin e al. 293).The polluted groundwater is toxic to humans and livestock; hence, if consumed, it affects their health.

Agriculture plays a significant role in the production of greenhouse gases. According to a study by Robertson, Philip, Paul, and Richard, crops efflux nitrous oxide, which contributes to increased global warming potential (GWP). Moreover, apart from preventing carbon accumulation, the cropping systems did not provide any mitigation effect against GWP (Robertson et al. 1922). An article by the World Future Council revealed that agriculture is responsible for about 14 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted globally. Therefore, more crops mean that larger volumes of nitrous oxide are effluxed. This makes mass cropping part of the problem and solution to climate change since it contributes to the increase in GWP and also reduces carbon concentration in the atmosphere.

A European study by Reidsma et al. revealed that unmanaged lands have better ecosystem quality than areas with mass cropping. The researchers observed that regions such as the Netherlands, which have intensively used agricultural lands, have a poor ecosystem quality (88). On the contrary, areas such as Spain, where agriculture is less practiced, have robust ecosystems (Reidsma et al.). This shows that croplands are likely to cause an ecological imbalance in the environment.This problem is attributable to the use of chemicals in agriculture and other anthropogenic activities that cause the loss of biodiversity. If farmers do not make any changes to their methods, the current intensive agriculture practices will result in unstable ecosystems.

Remedies to the Effects of Intensive Farming

Farmers and organizations should find eco-friendlier alternatives to fertilizers to reduce the harmful effects of agrochemicals on the soil, human and animal life, and the environment at large. The production of chemical fertilizers is also expensive, which contributes to the high costs of food. In addition to protecting the environment, green solutions can minimize the costs involved, thereby making food more affordable. According to Doso, the production of agrochemical products is often regulated through taxing (67). However, this does not minimize the reliance on synthetic fertilizers within the farming industry. Organic ones, which are made naturally occurring substances, would pose less environmental threats.

Organic fertilizers have similar agricultural benefits to the inorganic ones. The difference arises in their mode of action. Organic fertilizers rely on the organisms living in the soil for chemical breakdown to inorganic states, which are more useful to plants (Miller). Hence, unlike synthetic ones, they do not contribute to the loss of biodiversity. The breakdown of organic fertilizers by soil organisms is usually slow; this minimizes nutrient leaching (Miller). Therefore, this method results in better health in plants and minimal effects on the environment. If farmers have to rely on inorganic fertilizers and other agrochemicals, they should avoid using them excessively. Heavy application results in toxicity since inorganic compounds might not fully decompose (Miller). This creates chemical imbalances in the soil, which affect the health of the plant.

World governments should find sustainable alternatives to ensure food security, instead of the overexploitation of farming land. The most recent option is the production of genetically modified foods. However, this method has faced criticism due to its perceived health effects. In Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply, Shiva opposes the consumption of such products, arguing that they go against the culture of farming. Nevertheless, while these foods might have their harmful effects, advancements in technology can help to make them a reliable source.

Traditionally, crop rotation has been used to maintain soil structure, fertility, and to prevent soil-borne pests (Venter, Zander, Karin, and Heidi-Jayne 215).Consistent intensive farming disintegrates soil structure. Conversely, crop rotation improves soil quality, thereby ensuring that crops grown on the same land in the future have a higher yield. Also, the method breaks the availability of food for soil-borne pests that rely on one plant family. Hence, crop rotation can make mass cropping more sustainable. A similar outcome can be obtained through straw incorporation. The method is instrumental in increasing soil quality and minimizing crop diseases. Hence, if farmers and organizations cannot avoid mass farming, they should make it more sustainable using the approaches discussed above.

Conclusion

Farmers should adopt eco-friendly agricultural solutions with minimal adverse impacts on the environment and the ecosystem.Population growth is the leading reason for mass cropping; the trend results in increased demand for affordable food. Also, farming land is scarce. Consequently, farmers and organizations are shifting to intensive agriculture, which involves extensive use of capital and labor relative to yield per unit area of land.Mass cropping results in land degradation, which affects the soil structure; this results in soil erosion and the depletion of minerals.Moreover, the farming method involves the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other agrochemicals, which are toxic to the organisms living in the soil and the environment. The products also lead to eutrophication and the contamination of groundwater. Crops efflux nitrous oxide, which increases the global warming potential. Therefore, mass cropping results in increased emission of greenhouse gasses, thereby contributing to climate change.

Some of the green solutions to minimize the environmental impacts of mass cropping are the use of organic fertilizers, crop rotation, and straw incorporation. Organic fertilizers reduce nitrate leaching and groundwater contamination, while crop rotation and straw incorporation minimize crop diseases, and to maintain the soil structure. Farmers should use agrochemicals in controlled quantities.If farmers and organizations cannot entirely avoid mass farming, they should incorporate the above strategies to make it more sustainable. Consequently, intensive agriculture will result in less severe impacts on the ecosystem.

Works Cited

Beaudoin, N., et al. "Nitrate leaching in intensive agriculture in Northern France: Effect of farming practices, soils, and crop rotations." Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, vol. 111, no.1-4, 2005, pp. 292-310, doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2005.06.006.

Doso Jr, S. "Land degradation and agriculture in the Sahel of Africa: causes, impacts, and recommendations." Journal of Agricultural Science and Applications, vol. 3, no.3, 2014, pp. 67-73, www.vkingpub.com/UploadFiles/2014-09/534/2014090410482868569.pdf.