Agriculture Expansion

Studies have shown that population growth causes some unbalances in the world; such as hunger, therefore the need to expand agriculture in order to feed human population is inevitable. The article presented talks about the recent increase in agriculture as well as the viewpoint of future intensifications. Agriculture food production has been doubling for the past 35 years, with a 6.87-fold increase in nitrogen fertilization, 3.48-fold in phosphorous fertilization, 1.68-fold in irrigated cropland, and a 1.1-fold increase in land cultivation. (Tilman) These changes would provoke dramatic impacts on the diversity, composition, and performance of the remaining natural ecosystem of the world. One of these changes to suffer the most would be fresh water and marine ecosystem with high rates of nitrogen and phosphorous release from agricultural fields.

Grain production such as wheat, maize, and rice has been one of the fields that have increased the most. Although grain production has decreased the rate of malnourished people in the world, we would still expect to see the world population rate to increase around 10 billion, therefore increasing the need to feed the population and livestock with the most common agricultural production, grain.

The article also explains the factors involved in the recent doubling of food production during the past 35 years. Among these factors is the higher-yielding strain of crops, increased use of herbicides and fungicides, as well as the high amount of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers applied yearly worldwide.

In addition, doubling agriculture would have impacts on the existing nonagricultural ecosystems, such as forests on slopes and wetlands that help release water into streams and rivers. Agriculture depends on soil fertility, which would be destroyed when agriculture expands. The article then ends by stating that agricultural practices need to be modified in order to minimize environmental impacts, even though such practices would increase the cost of production.

Based on the statements made in this article, agriculture food production is facing a two way situation. One way is the fact that is almost impossible to stop agriculture expansion due to the increase in human population, on the other hand rate of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization are increasing as well as the doubling amount of land irrigated. Therefore, the destruction of nonagricultural ecosystem would increase the rate of threatened species in the world. However, if we can properly manage both agricultural and nonagricultural ecosystem, the natural ecosystem would be able to sustain resources used by society, such as fish, timber, and others. 

Sources:

Tilman, D., (1999, May 25). Global environmental impacts of agricultural expansion: The need for sustainable and efficient practices. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/96/11/5995.full