( And We Essay, Research Paper
“The image is counterintuitive but true: survival of the peasants in the rice fields of Hunan or Guangdong – with their timeless clod-breaking hoes, docile buffaloes, and rice-cutting sickles – is now much more dependent on fossil fuels and modern chemical synthesis than the physical well-being of the American city dwellers sustained by Iowa and Nebraska farmers cultivating sprawling grainfields with giant tractors. These farmers inject ammonia into soil to maximise operating profits and to grow enough feed for extraordinarily meaty diets; but half of all peasants in Southern China are alive because of the urea cast or ladled onto tiny fields – and very few of their children could be born and survive without spreading more of it in the years and decades ahead.” In the last half century the technological development of agriculture has dramatically changed the performance of farming. The changes have been both positive and negative: on the positive side changes have resulted in a more stable and abundant food supply; on the negative side it has created more environmental degradation, more dependence on fossil energy, and a lower energy efficiency. Understanding the reason for these changes requires an examination of the relationship between technological development, population, natural resources and environmental sustainability for development.For the time being, North America and much of the industrial world have achieved very high agricultural production and low food costs on the basis of extremely intensive industrialised farming systems which use modern technology and chemicals. Whereas, in less developed countries, agricultural production is more traditional (subsistence and extensive farming systems) and more a means of preventing starvation than increasing the standard of living of farmers and others . For example, modern techniques for cereal farming in North America are based on a massive injection of fossil energy. This results in lowering the energy efficiency (output-input ratios), and a rapid depletion of non-renewable oil stocks. The two forces driving this development are:(i) the increasing productivity per hour of labour of farmers (=increasing the income and standard of living of farmers, and making available more labour for other economic sectors), and (ii) the increasing productivity per unit of land area (=increasing the total food supply). These types of high-technology/high-yield cereal farming, depend on non-renewable energy, impacting negatively on the environment by lowering the sustainability of the agro-ecosystem. These impacts include soil erosion, reduced biodiversity, and chemical contamination of the environment by fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, and mining of groundwater . However, to get approximately the same yield as North America, Asian farmers must work more than 1,000 hours/year per hectare in cereal production compared to only 10 hours/hectare for North American agriculture . The U.S. economy manages in this way to sustain its farmers at an income level that is almost comparable to that of workers in other U.S. economic sectors, but that is almost a hundred times higher than the income of Chinese farmers.
The large increases in fertilisers and pesticides used in North America are again due to the abandonment of traditional agricultural technologies. For example, for some major crops like corn, crop rotation has been abandoned; nearly 50 percent of U.S. corn is grown continuously as a monoculture. This has caused an increase in the number of corn pests and the need for more pesticides to protect the crop. Since 1945 the use of synthetic pesticides in the U.S. has grown 33-fold, yet crop losses to pests continue to increase. In Asia, it is more population pressure and poverty that forces the abandonment of sound techniques in agricultural production, such as fallows and crop rotations. Population growth means shrinking environmental resources per capita (land, soil, water and biological resources), a need for increasing yields per hectare and sooner or later a dependence on fossil fuels. When the development of a country is prevented by its demographic trap, negative ecological side effects are generated by the increased use of energy in agriculture. Environmental degradation tends to drive down the income of farmers and the available food supply per capita.Currently worldwide there is serious degradation of land, water, and biological resources generated by the increasing use of fossil energy by the world’s population. More fossil energy is used than is available in the form of a sustainable supply of biomass, more nitrogen fertiliser is used per year than could be obtained by natural supply, water is pumped out of underground reservoirs at a higher rate than it is recharged, and more minerals are taken out of mines than are formed. Fossil energy and technology enabled humans to (temporarily) sustain excesses. On the whole, increased food demand in Asia and North America will have to be met primarily through higher yields on remaining land and by more intensive cropping. Primary strategy for the future will be to raise yields on less productive land by expanding use of organic fertilisers and sustainable crop through an ecological agriculture program.A sustainable use of renewable resources is only possible if; (i) known environmentally sound agricultural technologies are implemented, (ii) various known renewable energy technologies are put in place, (iii) major increases in energy efficiency are achieved to reduce the exponential energy consumption per capita, and (iv) population size and the consequent level of withdrawal of natural resources are compatible with maintaining the stability of environmental processes .Clearly, there is a flaw in human logic. If we are to safeguard the earth for future generations humans must learn how to manage natural resources in a sustainable manner and determine what is an acceptable standard of living for the human race as a whole.
Другие работы по теме:
Comparison Between The Tragic Heros Okonkwo And
Hamlet Essay, Research Paper A Comparison of the Tragic Heroes Hamlet and Okonkwo As I try to compare Shakespeare s play Hamlet, and Achebe s novel, Things Fall Apart, I realize that the two main characters are very much similar. In each story the main character shows qualities that could make him a hero in his own right.
CompareContract Macbeth Essay Research Paper Compare
Compare/Contract Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Compare & Contrast Macbeth and Lady Macbeth The plot of Shakespeare s Macbeth is tragic and bloody, held together with actions based on ambition, the driving force to achieve good or evil. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth can be used as prime examples of people that act upon ambition.
Stress Essay Research Paper Many objects and
Stress Essay, Research Paper Many objects and people these days have the ability to be compared and contrasted. For example, compare and contrast a dog and cat. A dog is most commonly a house pet, like a cat. But a dog has more ability to be trained, unlike the cat. It is not the subject of comparing a dog and a cat.
Self Esteem Essay Research Paper I compare
Self Esteem Essay, Research Paper I compare my face to the most beautiful girl in the school. I compare my personality to the sweetest girl in the school. I compare my socialization rate to the most popular girl in the school.
Compare And Contrast The Thrill Of The
Grass And The Balek Scales Essay, Research Paper Jan. 29 1999 Pettit 3rd period The two stories I am comparing and contrasting are, “The Thrill of the Grass” and “The Balek Scales.” The reason I chose these two stories is because out of all the stories that we have read this year these two were my favorites. In this paper I am going to be contrasting more than comparing because these stories have little in common.
Compare And Contrast Essay Research Paper Comparing
Compare And Contrast Essay, Research Paper Comparing Weddings of two cultures Weddings are part of every culture throughout the world. It is natural for a person to grow up, get marry, and start a family. However there are significant differences between weddings of every culture. People in Vietnam emphasize wedding more on customs and traditions.
Compare Contrast Essay Research Paper Only Child
Compare Contrast Essay, Research Paper Only Child vs Siblings I want this and I want that is all you here from an only child. There are many differences between an only child and a child who has siblings. My friend is an only child and there are many differences in the way we act. She always thinks of herself first, but that is not a bad thing.
Compare And Contrast Goundhog Essay Research Paper
Compare and Contrast Groundhog s Day and The Fall Steve Perri George Brown These two works have a very similar story to them. In Groundhog s Day, Bill Murray s character, Phil is stuck in the same day until he can become truly happy. In The Fall, the main character is suffering from an identity crisis. As we watch and read we find that these two people have a very similar predicament.
Westside Story Essay Research Paper Romeo
Westside Story Essay, Research Paper Romeo & Juliet and Westside Story The plays Romeo and Juliet and Westside Story have many similarities and differences. One major compare and contrast in the two,
Comparison Of Huck Finn And Tom Sawyer
Essay, Research Paper Question 1: Compare and contrast the personalities of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are two friends with very different personalities, each bringing their own unique characteristics into this comical relationship.
Desdemona And EmiliaCompare Essay Research Paper Desdemona
Desdemona And Emilia;Compare Essay, Research Paper Desdemona, the bride of Othello, and Emilia, the wife of the villain Iago, are the two main characters in Shakespeare s Othello. Although they are both loyal to their husbands, a sharp contrast between these women is realized with regard to their experiences and perceptions of reality.
Compare And Contrast Socrates And Krishna Essay
, Research Paper Plato?s Socrates and, The Bhagavad Gita?s Krishna are two very important characters who have strongly impacted the lives of many. These two characters share many similar qualities, as well as many contrasting qualities. In this essay, I will thoroughly compare and contrast these two remarkable characters.
Comparison Of The Illiad
’s Achilles And Hector Essay, Research Paper Two of the main characters in Homer s The Iliad, Achilles and Hector, compare very differently in many ways. Although they were both war heroes, they came from different sides of the battle and fought each other under different beliefs. These two brave warriors fought to the death in Book 22, where Hector eventually lost to Achilles.
Sonnet Essay Research Paper The sonnets 130
Sonnet Essay, Research Paper The sonnets, 130 and 292, written by William Shakespeare and Francesco Petrarch, both shows their passionate love towards their woman and it is very interesting to compare and contrast the two. Although their passionate mind was similar, they differ in form, tone, and meaning.
Compare And Contrast 2
Compare And Contrast: “Dead Man’s Dump” By Rosenberg And “dulce Et Decorum Est” By Owen Essay, Research Paper Compare and Contrast: “Dead Man’s Dump” by Rosenberg and “dulce et Decorum est”
Who Can Save Denmark Essay Research Paper
Often in literature, minor characters in a play can be essential in bringing the main characters to where we can understand them. They also push or pull major characters into actions or decisions that affect the rest of the play. Plus they reveal the emotions and personalities of other characters because they give us someone to compare and contrast the characters with.
Get In Essay Research Paper Click Here
Get In Essay, Research Paper Click Here If YOU Have Friends! Can’t find the paper you need? Try Collegiate Care Comparing Casablanca to 1984 Charlie Parker at Storyville
Compare And Contrast Essay Research Paper 100200English
Compare And Contrast Essay, Research Paper 10/02/00 English 119 Assignment # 2 Comparison and Contrast I have never really thought about my experiences with the birth in a comparison before. I have shared or swapped stories with other mom’s picking out our likenesses. So taking on this assignment has made me see the differences that have occurred between the births of my children.
Compare And Contrast Macbeth
’s And Hamlet’s Madness Essay, Research Paper Madness can be described as an internal flaw that both characters, Hamlet and Macbeth, possess. Although their madness is different in some aspects, it can be said that
Short Story Comparison-
- “A&P” And “An Ounce Of Cure” Essay, Research Paper If a reader is given two short stories, two stories that are seemingly different on the surface, to read and compare and contrast, a surprising amount of similarities and differences can be found. Unless they deal with the same subject matter, most short stories aren’t really related, until some analysis is done.
Comparecontrast Oldyoung Essay Research Paper CompareContrastOldYoungThere
Compare/contrast Old/young Essay, Research Paper Compare/Contrast Old/Young There are many similarities as well as differences between elderly people and young adults. Older people seem to be more set in their ways. They also seem to know much more in general about most everything. Young adults, on the other hand seem to have a much broader outlook on life.
Ivanhoe Strengths Essay Research Paper The greatest
Ivanhoe Strengths Essay, Research Paper The greatest strengths of Ivanhoe were the themes of the novel. All the characters in Ivanhoe were in some way affected by the major theme of the hatred between the
Compare And Contrast On The Pearl Essay
, Research Paper Compare and Contrast Essay According to The Pearl, the Indians and the Caucasians had the same plans of their own if they owned the pearl. The pearl meant wealth for the Indians. To the whites the pearl meant more power and wealth. Unlike the Caucasian, the Indians had many reasons for desiring the great pearl.
Compare And Contrast Essay Research Paper COMPARE
Compare And Contrast Essay, Research Paper COMPARE AND CONTRAST Drugs have left our society striving to find a solution or ways to eliminate it. A controversial issue has been lingered on for years, whether drugs should be legalized or not. William Bennett and Milton Friedman are toe people who are aiming for the same goal; that is to eliminate drugs, crimes, and addicts, but yet, they have different approach on attacking this problem.
Compare And Contrast On Frost Essay Research
Paper Compare and Contrast on RobertFrost Provide, Provide and PeterMeinke Advice to My Son Robert Frost s Provide, Provide and Peter Meinke s Advice To My Son , these two poems deserve to be compared. Frost s Poem Provide, Provide uses language that is in a fairly straightforward and literal way and states the theme in the final lines.
Old Africa Vs New Africa Essay Research
Paper Old Africa vs. New Africa Aaron S On my essay about “Out of Africa” I will compare and contrast old Africa and new Africa. During the movie Africa was under European power. There were only independent countries. European leaders dictated their government. Africa has since become independent. European power has greatly changed education over the years.
Compare Contrast The Love Between Claudio And
Hero Essay, Research Paper Compare/ contrast the love between Claudio and Hero with Beatrice and Bene*censored*. Whose is Stronger? The lovebetween Bene*censored* and Beatrice was much stronger than the love between Hero and Claudio. One reason Bene*censored* and Beatrice?s love was stronger because the way Hero and Claudio got together was not true love.
Hamlet Essay Research Paper Compare and contrast
Hamlet Essay, Research Paper Compare and contrast between Hamlet and Laertes William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is known as the best tragedy play of all times. Each one of the characters has their own unique personality, but some of them are very alike. Hamlet, the main character, and Laertes, one of the other leading roles, are very much alike but at the same time slightly different.
Compare And Contrast Cults And Religion
Essay, Research Paper Compare and Contrast of Cult and Religion Essay Religion is a sociological device used to protect its members, and it offers them a common system of belief. Religion, whether it is Christianity, Taoism, Judaism, or Hinduism is a set of commonly shared beliefs that bring many people together.
Macbeth Novel Essay Research Paper Compare and
Macbeth Novel Essay, Research Paper Compare and Contrast: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Ambition, the world?s driving force to achieve their goals. Ambition is a characteristic of human nature,