Intensive Farming free essay sample

1) Intensive farming practices include growing high-yield crops, using fertilisers and pesticides and keeping animals indoors. Food production is increased but there are unwelcome side effects. 2) Prevents energy being transferred from the crop to consumers. Reduces biodiversity. May poison helpful organisms. 3) Chemical insecticides (which kill insect pests). Herbicides which kill plants or weeds. 4) Ground water contamination: Chemicals can reach underground aquifers if there is persistent product use in agricultural areas. Resistance: Overuse of the same pesticide can encourage resistance in the target pest. Poisoning hazards: Pesticide operators can risk poisoning through excessive exposure if safe handling procedure are not followed and protective clothing is not worn. Poisoning risks depend on dose, toxicity, duration of exposure and sensitivity. 5) plants can grow without soil, but they cannot grow without the necessities that soil provides. Plants need support, nutrients, protection from adverse temperatures, an even supply of moisture, and they need oxygen around the roots. We will write a custom essay sample on Intensive Farming or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is possible to provide these necessary components for plant growth without soil. 6) Advantages Some of the reasons why hydroponics is being adapted around the world for food production are the following: No soil is needed for hydroponics The water stays in the system and can be reused thus, lower water costs It is possible to control the nutrition levels in their entirety thus, lower nutrition costs No nutrition pollution is released into the environment because of the controlled system Stable and high yields Pests and diseases are easier to get rid of than in soil because of the containers mobility It is easier to harvest No pesticide damage Plants grow healthier It is better for consumption 1) ADVANTAGES OF HYDROPONICS PLANTS CAN BE GROWN ANYWHERE Today, space is increasingly at the premium. With hydroponics, plants can be grown anywhere where no soil exists and light is available. For example, plants can be grown on a rooftop or next to the window sill. In Japan, vegetables are grown in the supermarket itself and it supplies crispy fresh vegetables to the shoppers. It saves money on transport and the benefit of having fresh produce offset the high cost of city land. Therefore, hydroponics farming can be viable irrespective of the value of land. BETTER CONTROL OVER PLANT GROWTH A soil system is difficult to keep in control due to the complex chemical and biological nature of the soil. Plants nutrients are frequently not available to plants due to poor soil structure or unfavourable soil pH value. Plants growing in soil are also frequent competitors for the essential in the soil solution. On the contrary, a hydroponics grower has the freedom to regulate the composition of the nutrient solution and the frequency of the feeding of nutrient. This gives the hydroponics grower a considerable degree of control over the plant growth. DISADVANTAGES OF HYDROPONICS 1. STARTING COST IS HIGH The initial cost for construction of the hydroponics system is high, so, a hydroponics farmer may be limited in growing crops that either give a high return or rapid turn-over. 2. SOUND TECHNOLOGICAL KNOW HOW IS REQUIRED FOR PROPER TRAINING Trained personnel knowledgeable in the principles of plant nutrition and operation of commercial hydroponics are necessary to manage a hydroponics farm, as the failure rate is high in the hands of amateurs. 2) Prevents energy being transferred from the crop to consumers 3) It keeps energy efficient. 4) Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control. 5) Crop diversity Crop diversity is a distinctive characteristic of organic farming. Conventional farming focuses on mass production of one crop in one location, a practice called monoculture. Soil management Organic farming relies heavily on the natural breakdown of organic matter, using techniques like green manure and composting, to replace nutrients taken from the soil by previous crops. Weed management Organic weed management promotes weed suppression, rather than weed elimination, by enhancing crop competition and phytotoxic effects on weeds. Organic farmers integrate cultural, biological, mechanical, physical and chemical tactics to manage weeds without synthetic herbicides. Tillage Turning the soil between crops to incorporate crop residues and soil amendments; remove existing weed growth and prepare a seedbed for planting; turning soil soil after seeding to kill weeds; Mowing and cutting Removing top growth of weeds; Flame weeding and thermal weeding Using heat to kill weeds; and Mulching Blocking weed emergence with organic materials, plastic films, or landscape fabric. 6) Biological control is a method of controlling pests (including insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases) using other living organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role. Intensive Farming free essay sample Intensive farming is a way of producing vast amounts of crops by using numerous chemicals and machines. These practices include growing high-yield crops, using fertilisers, pesticides and keeping animals indoors. Food production is increased however there are various advantages and disadvantages of this particular method. An example of this method would be conventional chicken farming. This method may be used by farmers due to predators e. g. foxes killing their free range chickens, minimising their profit. However if they are kept indoors this is not a problem. Battery Farming is an industrial confinement system. It is where animals e. g. Poultry – Chickens, are kept within an imprisoned environment such as cage or restricted to the proximity of an indoor surroundings. Farmers enclose animals as it reduces energy transferred to the environment; instead it is used for the growth of the animal. When turkeys are deprived of exercise all of their body’s energy goes towards production of goods e. We will write a custom essay sample on Intensive Farming or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page g. eggs for human consumption. Farmers obviously relish this as they are able to have bigger animals and more products resulting in more money. There are assorted advantages and disadvantages, the advantages include; Farmers are able to have close control of conditions e. g. artificial daylight increasing day time hours. Control of food, resulting in less wastage, if food not eaten it can be saved for next meal. Cheaper for farmers as less space is required to breed the animals e. g. chickens; also resulting in cheaper eggs for the consumer in comparison with free range. The Disadvantages include; these include increased risk of disease, due to if one animal becomes infected there is a higher chance the others will too. This is because they are within a smaller living space in comparison with being outside. Furthermore the disease will spread rapidly, whereas outside it would have been a lot slower process due to bigger area. Meaning the infected could be removed from the group, allowing more time for the farmers to react. Another deprivation is the fact that there will be a lower quality of product, e. g. nutrition and taste. This is due to the animals not being able to free roam, eat desired crops and obtain natural sunlight. This in turn makes the chickens extremely stressed culminating in a worse taste for the consumer. Lastly this procedure raises ethical concerns and issues; people believe it is cruel to enclose animals within cages with barely enough space to move. They believe that this should not be happening and that the animal’s rights are being abused. An example group of this is called PETA – People for the ethical treatment of animals, they campaign to stop this and tackle the main issues. Pesticides are used by farmers to remove any organisms/animals that feed on the crop. They’re also used to prevent rats and other animals from contaminating foods whilst they are being stored. Lastly to protect human’s health, they stop the crops from being contaminated by fungi. An example of this would be carrots; for the above reasons they are sprayed, applying pesticide spray prevents any energy being transferred from the crop to the consumer. Pesticide sprays bring several advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include; the pesticides are widely available and economical to use. Moreover they are effective in killing pests, making them a reliable usage of source for farmers. Lastly its yield is high due to no insect infestation; more plants will be edible, because no insects will be destroying the crop. The Disadvantages include; firstly the killing of pest, organisms, weeds and moulds in and around the area dramatically reduces the biodiversity of the habitat, unnecessary harm may occur to other non-target animals whom are not involved with the crop. Also pesticides are a poison that is able to kill humans, wildlife and the environment, if the instructions are not carefully followed. Furthermore when pesticides are used in large quantities they can become pollute the environment. They can poison and pollute land and water. Lastly some pesticides take a long time to break down, e. g. when a house is sprayed for termites; due to them not breaking down they become residual chemicals. Consequently becoming a huge hazard and remaining poisonous for long periods of time. The pesticide can then poison the local water supply and land. Hydroponics is an extreme form of growing crops in glasshouses. The process is fairly complex; soil is replaced by a mineral solution pumped around the plant roots. By removing the soil, this result in no risk of soil organisms causing disease, however the plants have to be supported. When monitoring and adjusting the concentrations of minerals in the solution, this enables the farmer to control growth. An example of hydroponics is tomatoes, they are grown using hydroponics for easy and optimised conditions that this particular method supplies. There are vast amounts of advantages of disadvantages. The advantages include; hydroponics allows crops to be grown in regions where theres no soil. Also there is no need for a lot of farming land as it allows crops to be produced in greenhouses, it is a stable method for reliable growth and ensures high yields for the farmer. By hardly any farming land being required, costs are relatively low on that front. Furthermore the desired nutrient for the environment can be easily provided for plant growth, meaning that the growth of rate is increased. There are lower water costs as water is reused in these systems; also less water is lost through evaporation and runoff. Lastly the crops are very easy to harvest, and pests and diseases are easier to get rid of. The Disadvantages include; firstly the initial setup costs are high, as the equipment required for hydroponics is expensive. Moreover hydroponics know-how is required maintain the equipment. Farmers may have to pay someone to come in and fix the greenhouse if broken and maintain the process. In addition if a disease was to appear all plants in the container would be affected, also water borne diseases can quickly spread right through the hydroponic gardens, ruining the crops. Lastly if the hydroponic system fails it can leads to rapid plant death, due to soil not being present as a backup. Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on organic materials instead of pesticides, to provide crops and food. Some of the techniques used are Manure which replaces fertilisers and develops soil structure. Weeding replaces herbicides, they are far more environmental and do not damage your health. Crop rotation replaces single crop, it reduces disease and damage to the soil’s composition. There are numerous amounts of advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include; primarily a major benefit to consumers of organic food is that it is free of contamination with health harming chemicals such as pesticides, fungicides and herbicides not being present. This is due to alternative methods being in practise. Additionally organically grown plants are nourished naturally, aiding the structural and metabolic integrity, in comparison with crops that have been conventionally grown. As a result of this, organically grown foods can be stored longer; furthermore they do not fall subject to rapid mould.