Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Changes

    Since the Industrial Revolution, food has been on high demand as the population continues to increase. To keep up with the population, farmers need to look for ways to increase  their harvest in a season. The solutions consist of purchasing more land or fertilizing regularly. The solutions for increasing yearly yield are also contributing to environmental issues like global warming. 70% of human consumption of fresh water is used in agriculture. As the climate becomes dryer, more water is used. Studies showed that the use of irrigation systems are both harmful to the plants, soil, and the atmospheric moisture.  In western United States millions of acres are used for pastures. Livestock release methane gas that cause a greenhouse effect to the globe. This causes a decrease in plant diversity from the root systems dying off. The increase of chemical fertilizers are not just being seen in the fields used in but also the soil and water. New methods of farming are slowly being developed and will hopefully be able to increase yearly harvest and preserve the atmosphere. 


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