WE ABUSE LAND BECAUSE WE REGARD IT AS A COMMODITY BELONGING TO US

Hello Sunday,

I thought since it is Sunday and a new week is starting tomorrow, I would start a new series of video’s that I placed on YouTube - JOY. A joyful life, lived in peaceful bliss, is the best existence we can hope to achieve. It’s the kind of life that produces positive vibes and feel-good energy, and encourages us to look to the future with high hopes.

Pure joy might seem like a fleeting emotion, but even if you only feel it for a moment in time, you can hold on to it. So, why not start this Sunday with JOY IN OUR HEARTS.

Your success and happiness lie in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. Helen Keller

This Sunday, I’m going to focus on Agricultural Activities a form of land pollution. Agricultural pollution can be defined as the degradation or contamination of the environment through abiotic and biotic byproducts of farming.

For many years, our ancestors farmed in a sustainable way, thus there were almost no problems with agricultural pollution.

However, due to the optimization of yields over time through the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, agricultural pollution became a significant problem to the environment.

There are also many other sources of agricultural pollution's. Below are the sources that are related to it.

PESTICIDES AND HERBICIDES

The excessive use of pesticides and herbicides in order to optimize yields has become a big problem to the environment. Pesticides and herbicides contain many chemicals which can impact the ecological system in an adverse manner.

LARGE AMOUNT OF FERTILIZERS

The crops contaminated with these chemicals are eaten by us which can cause health issues and death. Moreover, the chemicals are washed through the soil in the groundwater and thus contamination it. In addition, animals will eat part of the crops and plants and are harmed by the chemicals as well.

A similar problem occurs from the use of fertilizers. An excessive fertilizer use leads to a contamination of rivers and lakes with nitrates and phosphates which causes algae contamination and thus harms the water environment.

Using large amounts of fertilizer can also contaminate the groundwater and thus harms the whole ecosystem, including humans, plants and animals.

CONTAMINATED WATER

The use of contaminated water for agricultural purposes is a significant issue. While most of the water in developed countries is relatively clean, this can be quite different in developing countries. The water can be contaminated due to the disposal of industrial, agricultural or private waste into rivers, lakes or other water systems.

This can cause the crops being contaminated with chemicals and harmful elements like lead or even mercury. In turn, these crops are used by humans as well as to feed animals and thus can harm both in a severe way.

HEAVY METALS

The use of fertilizers and organic wastes like manure can also increase an accumulation of heavy metals in the soil. Some farming techniques like irrigation can lead to an accumulation of selenium.

The accumulation of heavy metals can lead to the contamination of the groundwater and may thus harm animals, plants and even humans on later stages.

SOIL EROSION

Soil erosion and sedimentation can be regarded as a natural form of agricultural pollution; however, it can also be harmful to the environment. Farmers are often not aware of soil erosion and sedimentation and do not protect their fields against this issue.

Through wind and rain, part of the soil is carried in rivers and thus impacting the natural water movement. This in turn hurts water animals and plants.

ANIMAL MANAGEMENT

The agricultural pollution caused by wrong animal management is a problem of nowadays society. Many years ago, farmers were just holding as much animals as their land could support. Today, there are so many big farms which coop up animals in a perverse way.

This form of animal treatment can lead to serious diseases. In order to fight the disease problem, farmers have to use excessive amounts of antibiotics. This in turn also harms humans since they eat this antibiotic contaminated meat.

MANURE MANAGEMENT

Due to our excessive meat consumption preferences, there is also quite a lot of manure that has to be dealt with in the meat production process.

If the manure is not treated in a proper and environmentally-friendly fashion, it can lead to agricultural pollution and also to water pollution since it can also reach the groundwater.

INTRODUCED SPECIES

Through the increased globalization of agriculture, new invasive species have been established which can impact the population of native species in an adverse way.

These invasive species can carry pests and diseases which can harm the local ecosystem. Moreover, biodiversity may be reduced since the local species are not able to deal with some of the pests.

THE SOURCE OF YOUR JOY 🌝

Good day Sunday 🌞 Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile 😁 but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy 🌷

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

The use of genetically modified organisms in the form of crops can result in the genetic contamination of local native plants. This could lead to the extinction of native species.

LAND MANAGEMENT

A profound land management can be crucial for keeping agricultural pollution to a minimum level. A bad land management also leads to an irreversible decline in fertility. It is therefore crucial that farmers have a good knowledge on how their actions can impact the environment.

GREENHOUSE GASES FROM FECAL WASTE

The excessive demand for meat has to be met with higher numbers of farm animals. However, this causes an increase in the production of greenhouse gases which in turn contributes to an increase in the speed of global warming.

WHERE IS THE FDA – WHEN YOU NEED THEM!

So, are you listening now! This is a huge problem in our world today and effects not just humans, but every matter around us. Tomorrow I will be blogging on the effects that agricultural activities have on our environment (OUR PLANET).

Until then remember joyfulness keeps the heart and face young. A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us. Orison Swett Marden