2.7.2. CHANGES CAUSED BY AGRICULTURE

There are two types of agricultural systems: (1) Traditional system and (2) Modern and Industrialized system.

Agriculture can be divided into two main types: traditional systems, which include subsistence and intensive agriculture, and modern industrialized systems where large-scale farming is done using advanced techniques. Traditional systems focus more on family needs and sustainability, while modern systems emphasize high yields and commercial output.

Imagine a small family farm where the farmers grow enough crops just to feed themselves and sell a little at the market. This is traditional subsistence agriculture. Now think of a massive farm that produces thousands of tons of corn to sell in supermarkets - that’s modern industrial agriculture.

(a) Traditional Subsistence Agriculture (TSA): In this system, only enough crops or livestock are produced for the use of family and a little surplus to sell to meet the needs.

TSA is characterized by producing just enough food to support a family's livelihood with a minimal surplus for sale. The focus is on local consumption rather than commercial profit, making it sustainable but often varying in success due to environmental factors.

Think of a backyard vegetable garden where a family grows tomatoes, potatoes, and beans mainly for their own meals. Any extra produce may be sold or traded with neighbors, sustaining the family and fostering community relationships.

(b) Traditional Intensive Agriculture( TIA ): Farmers increase their inputs of human labor, water, fertilizers to get higher yields for the use of their families and to sell small quantities for getting income.

TIA involves enhancing crop yields through additional inputs such as labor, water, and fertilizers to boost productivity for both household use and income. It requires more resources compared to TSA, aiming at greater efficiency.

Imagine a small farm where the family hires extra help at harvest time and invests in fertilizers to produce more corn. They end up selling excess corn to local markets, allowing them to earn an income while still feeding their family.

(2) Modern and industrialized system: In the system of modern and industrialized agriculture, a large extent of land will be brought under agriculture and huge quantities of fuel, energy, water, chemical fertilizers, pesticides used to produce large quantities of single crops purely for sale.

This type of agriculture is largely mechanized and driven by technology, using significant resources to cultivate large tracts of land for producing monocultures—single crops meant for profit. While it can increase productivity, it often has harmful environmental impacts.

Think of a large corn plantation that uses tractors for planting and harvest, employs chemical fertilizers to improve growth, and focuses solely on maximizing corn production. This industrial approach sacrifices biodiversity for efficiency.

a. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers to boost up the crop yield, contaminate groundwater with nitrate. The presence of excess of nitrate in drinking water is dangerous for human Health.

The use of chemical fertilizers enhances crop yields but can lead to environmental contamination, particularly nitrate leaching into groundwater. This contamination poses health risks such as 'Blue Baby Syndrome', a condition that can affect infants.

Imagine pouring a lot of fertilizers on your garden to make your plants grow faster but forgetting the rain might wash those chemicals into the local water supply. The same concept applies when farms use too much fertilizer, risking the health of families relying on that water.

b. The excessive N P K fertilizers in agriculture fields are often washed off with water and leads to algal blooming and Eutrophication.

Runoff from agricultural fields can carry excess nutrients into nearby bodies of water, causing excessive algal growth, known as eutrophication. This disrupts aquatic ecosystems, harming fish and plant life as oxygen levels drop.

Think of a pond that becomes green and murky due to an overwhelming growth of algae from nearby fertilizer runoff. This affects fish living in the pond, as they can’t breathe properly, similar to how too many nutrients stress an ecosystem.

Modern, intensive agriculture causes many problems, including the following: Artificial fertilizers and herbicides are easily washed from the soil and pollute rivers, lakes and water courses.

The reliance on artificial fertilizers and herbicides not only impacts soil quality through nutrient depletion but also leads to water pollution through runoff. This impacts both terrestrial and aquatic environments, harming ecosystems and drinking water supplies.

Consider a farm where heavy rains wash away chemicals into a river. The river then carries these pollutants downstream, affecting not only local wildlife but also communities that depend on that river for drinking water.

Water logging refers to the saturation of soil with water. Soil may be regarded as waterlogged when the water table of the groundwater is too high to conveniently permit an anticipated activity, like agriculture.

Waterlogging occurs when excessive irrigation raises the water table, saturating the soil and preventing air from reaching plant roots. This often leads to salinity issues as salts accumulated from irrigation cannot leach away and build up, harming crop growth.

Picture a farmer who overirrigates their fields, causing standing water to collect. This makes it hard for crops to breathe (as they need air) and increases salt levels in the soil, making it tough for plants to thrive, similar to what happens in a flooded farm.

--