Intensive Agriculture - how intense can you get?
In the cascade effect:
- nitrates wipe out nitrogen-fixing bacteria in
soil and encourage bacteria that break down
organic matter and humus
- loss of humus leads to reduced water
retention, meaning more irrigation is needed
- without humus, nutrients are washed away
and life in the soil declines, the soil turns acid
and more organic matter is destroyed
- the soil no longer holds together, salts build
up and erosion increases and quickens at up
to 17 times the rate at which it is formed.
- the depleted soils require ever larger inputs
of chemicals to produce decreasing levels of
yields
- more fertiliser encourages more weed growth,
requiring increased herbicide applications
- fertiliser encourages fast but weak and sappy
growth, making plants vulnerable to insect
and fungal attack. Insecticides and fungicides
are needed to save the crop
- insecticides indiscriminately wipe out most
insects, pests and pollinators, reducing
biodiversity both above and below ground.
- herbicides wash into the water supply, giving
rise to increased cancer rates and hormonal
changes in wildlife and humans that lead to
birth defects, gender imbalance and
developmental problems
- plant and animal species become extinct
- nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, is generated
from fertilised fields while nitrous acid
contributes to acid rain
- the reduced water retention in soil leads to
rapid runoff and flooding after heavy rains
None of the costs of these side effects of industrial agriculture are charged back to
the perpetrators.
