Taskeen

Aboobaker
Life
SOCIAL AND
Orientation
Task 3
ENVIRONMENTAL
Project
RESPONSIBILITY Grade 11

A Critical Analysis of the Environmental and Human Factors

that Cause Ill Health
1. Introduction
 Ill health- Illness, sickness or having a disease. It is the state of being
physically ill or having lots of health problems. (Maskew Miller Longman,
2012)
Inhumane farming methods- not kind or gentle to people or animals.
Inhumane farming methods are those procedures which are implemented
in the rearing of farm animals. An example of inhuman farming is battery
or factory farming, this practice is done to increase productivity and to
save on labour and other costs. (Brainly, 16 August 2019) & (Maskew
Miller Longman, 2012)
Environmental degradation- it is a process through which the natural
environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity
and the general health of the environment. Environmental degradation is
the destroying or harming of the environment which affects people and the
planet. (Eionet Europa, 1 June 2021)
 The connection of inhuman factory farming methods and
environmental degradation, and why it’s important.
Factory farming is a major contributor to water and air pollution as well as
deforestation. Factory-farmed animals produce more than 1 million tons of
manure every day. The animal waste often contains undigested antibiotics
which are given to the livestock to prevent the spread of disease in their
confined living conditions. This waste is usually stored in large open air
lagoons which are essentially lakes full of animal waste. These lagoons
can leak and spill, often during times of flooding, and have actually spilled
over into other water bodies, contaminating them and killing their fish
populations. The lagoons are often emptied using a spraying system in
which the waste is applied to nearby fields. This can contaminate local
water supplies, reach neighboring populations physically and in a sensorial
capacity, and emit harmful gasses. Likewise, livestock release methane
gas during their digestion process. For this reason, factory farms serve as
concentrated sources of methane gas emissions. Land and rainforests
are cleared to allow livestock to graze and be raised. There is a need for
land to be used for crops to feed the animals raised on factory farms, and
a major draw on our water supply to grow these crops, provide the animals
with drinking water, and clean the farms, slaughterhouses, and transport
trucks. Environmental degradation and inhumane factory methods are
both connected to each other as they are both harmful to the environment.
(Library guides, 13 April 2020)
2. The nature of environmental and human health
problems in South Africa.

A. Environmental factors that cause ill-health

 The use of harmful substances in food production, such as animal
antibiotics
Degradation, such as soil erosion, air, water and land pollution, radiation,
floods, fires and wind damage.
Loss of open space and lack of infrastructure
Inhumane farming methods such as battery or factory farming (Maskew
Miller Longman, 2012)

 Examples of inhumane farming methods

Never move, cage hen: to save space the animal is crammed together in
cages typically indoors, space where they can barely move around.
Dehorning- Animals often struggle violently and are therefore held still
manually or in a “head bail” (a metal apparatus for restraining a cow by the
neck) during the painful dehorning process, which is frequently performed
without painkillers and results in severe pain that lasts for hours and can
become chronic.
Using Antibiotics and hormone to encourage high-yielding animals.
Mutilation- Animals are mutilated to fit farm environments. This is
happening without anaesthesia, and is cruel and barbaric.
Battery farming- When animals farmed for meat or eggs (usually poultry)
are farmed indoors in very small enclosures, have little or no access to the
outdoors or room to move around or flap their wings. (Brainly, 8 Nov 2017)
& (Maskew Miller Longman,2012) & (Four Paws International, 2019) &
(Peta,2018)

 Effects of harmful substances in crop production

The effects of harmful substances such as pesticides, fertilizers and other
chemicals in crop production have the following harmful effects:
1. Affects soil fertility when used in excess- Sandy soils are much more
prone to soil acidification than clay soils that have an ability to buffer the
effects of excess chemical fertilization.
2. Crops produced with the help of such fertilizers are harmful for
consumption as it can enter our system and cause several abnormalities.
fertilizers are high in nutrient contents such as nitrogen, so an over-
application of chemical fertilizer to plants may cause the leaves to turn
yellow or brown, damaging the plant and reducing crop yield.
3. Chemicals can get washed away with water and get mixed with water
bodies resulting in water pollution. The over-abundance of nutrients in the
water causes reduced amounts of oxygen. The existing organisms living in
the water such as fish etc. uses up the oxygen that is left within water
therefore result is that oxygen depletion causing the fish to die.
 4. Air pollution, Excess nitrogen used in crop fertilization can contribute to
the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
into the atmosphere which may lead to an increase in temparatures.
(Brainly, 8 August 2019)

 How animals are affected with inhumane farming methods.

Factory farming systems demand fast-growing or high-yielding animals.
They achieve this through selective breeding and the use of concentrated
feed. This puts the animals at risk of developing often-painful physiological
problems. Lameness, weakened or broken bones, infections and organ
failure are common health problems for factory farmed animals. (CIWF,
2021)
Both wild and domesticated animals are affected. The domesticated
animals in these inhumane conditions are usually kept in small spaces and
are treated with little to no physical care. These animals would be under
constant stress and may turn violent towards each other. (Quora, 13
August 2018)
In factory dairies, cows spend their entire lives confined to concrete. To
boost production, some cows are injected with the growth hormone rBGH,
leading to lameness and mastitis, a painful infection of the udder. (Brainly,
20 August 2019)
Growing pigs are confined to slatted, bare, concrete floors. Stressed by
crowding and boredom, they frequently resort to biting and inflicting
wounds upon their penmates. (Brainly, 20 August 2019)

 Mechanisms that are enforced to regulate inhumane farming

methods
1) Non consumption or total boycotting of factory reared products. Farm
animals which are reared naturally without any inhuman means are
labelled as " free range", " pasture reared". So buying them instead of
buying any other labelled packets has lessened their economic profit.
2) Scientists have developed an innovative process of embryo formation
with the help of stem cells. It is called genetic engineering and this is not
an inhuman, painful procedure. This process is adopted in most of the
developed countries.
3) Government should ban inhuman ways of factory rearing animals as it
also is harming the environment.
So, by creating awareness among people about the hygiene, factory
products would be less consume yielding less economic profit to the
factory farmers. (Mpenduloc, 2019)

 Strategies that should be considered to minimize the effects of

inhumane farming methods
By buying local, ethically raised meat. Buy from people not afraid to show
you their livestock. Show you how it is raised. Managed intensive grazing
can put a lot more cattle on a patch of land than the old continual grazed
methods. Multispecies grazing raises beef, sheep and chickens or turkeys
on the same land in rotation with each other, one after the other. More
small farmers mean bringing money back into the rural towns and
supporting families, not corporations. It may be more expensive per lb. but
it will be healthier and more flavorful than any factory produced meat.
(Quora 2017)
1) Keep farmed animals safe from natural disasters- When natural
disasters strike, like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or wildfires, millions
of farmed animals are killed or injured because they're physically
constrained, whether by cages or lameness caused by their poor
conditions. Intensive farms are highly concentrated in areas at high-risk
for disasters, and the large number of animals on a single farm makes
it impossible for industrial farmers to evacuate them.
2) Create change for chickens- Due to their overgrown size and quick rate
of growth, many chickens on factory farms suffer skin wounds, painful
lameness, and overworked heart and lungs before being slaughtered
for food. These chickens have no opportunity to behave as they would
naturally and know only cruelty during their short lives.
3) Eat less meat- Eating less meat and purchasing from only high welfare
farms is crucial in shifting away from cruel factory farming. A
nationwide reduction in meat consumption has the potential to put an
end to some of the cruelest practices, such as extreme confinement,
the overuse of antibiotics, and brutal mutilations.
4) Choose meat and dairy products from farms, not factories. Look for
products with labels such as ‘free-range’, ‘pasture-reared’ or ‘outdoor-
reared’ labels. Avoid meat with labels like ‘farm fresh’, ‘country fresh’,
‘natural’, or just ‘corn-fed. Consuming fewer animal products isn’t just
good for animals; it’s better for people too (worldanimalprotection, 10
April 2020) & (Hahn Niman, 2011)
B. Environmental Degradation

 Environmental degradation- Environmental degradation is the deterioration

in environmental quality from ambient concentrations of pollutants and
other activities and processes such as improper land use and natural
disasters. (stats.oecd, 11 December 2001)

 Examples of environmental hazards

Soil erosion
Pollution
Radiation
Floods (Maskew Miller Longman, 2012)

 The impact of depletion of resources such as fishing stocks,

firewood and land
Fishing stocks - Whole species or types of fish can disappear
 Sharks, dolphins, seabirds, turtles and other fish we don’t eat
are also caught and then thrown away
 People who rely on fishing to earn a living will not have a job
 There are strict laws regarding fishing methods.
 The fishing industry is unable to employ as many people as
they did 10 years ago which causes unemployment.
(Maskew Miller Longman, 2012)
Firewood - Some type of trees can become extinct
 No trees will exist to bind the soil, which leads to soil erosion
and floods
 There will be no shade to keep people and animals cool
 Collecting firewood is the result of poverty and the increase
of poverty.
 People will run out of fuel to cook food and keep warm.
 Alien plants will take over the land and Global warming and
climate change will take place because trees absorb carbon
dioxide and give off oxygen. (Maskew Miller Longman, 2012)
Land- cattle are allowed to eat all the grass which leads to soil erosion
 Land is used to build buildings, houses and factories
 Mining activities pollute the land so that nothing will grow on
it
 Depletion of land makes it become more difficult to produce
the amount of food needed, it lowers production.
  Farmers plant the same type of crops on the same piece of
land, year after year, depleting the soil. (Maskew Miller
Longman, 2012)

 How attitudes and safety skills deal with the impact of environmental
factors at a personal level
You cannot always control things that happen, but you can change your
attitude and the way you feel. It is not easy for people to think positively and
be happy in the middle of a bad situation, but some people do not let events
affect their minds. (Maskew Miller Longman, 2012)
Human approach, attitudes and adherence to the safety skills does deal with
the impact over environmental factors at a personal level. We have to be
more careful and cautious while we pursue our own habits, and activities, with
the aim of posing less harm to the environment in any way. Nowadays
everyone throws rubbish here and there and due to that germs spread and
thus effects various human life. Hence people should know how to keep the
environment clean by taking small steps such as planting more and more
trees and start using garbage dumps for the sake of the beauty of the
environment.

 How does mechanisms such as mitigation and adaptation deal with

climate change
Climate change mitigation means avoiding and reducing emissions of heat-
trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to prevent the planet from
warming to more extreme temperatures. Adaption is what we have to do to
help us cope with climate change that is already happening so that the impact
of climate change does not cause more harm to other environment. You could
deal with it by: Using motor cars less, as they are the fastest growing source
of greenhouse gases or instead, walk, take public transport or ride a bicycle.
Don’t build houses in places where there are likely to be floods and big
waves.
Plant indigenous trees that are drought resistant. Trees absorb carbon dioxide
and produce oxygen. Turn off the tap and don’t let water run. Recycle paper
to save trees. (Maskew Miller Longman, 2012)
Table of contents:
Introduction 3

The nature of environmental and human health problems

in South Africa 4

How animals are affected with inhumane farming methods. 5

Strategies that should be considered to minimize the

effects of inhumane farming methods 6

Environmental degradation 7

How attitudes and safety skills deal with the impact

of environmental factors at a personal level 8

Interview Questions 9

Analysis of the above findings

& Recommendations 14

Bibliography 15
4 Analysis of the above findings.
Question 1- All five respondents were aware what is inhumane farming which means
people know about inhumane farming methods and
Question 2- Four out of 5 respondents knew that inhumane farming leads to ill health
which means some people don’t know the effects of inhumane farming and that it
may lead to ill health.
Question 3- All 5 respondents knew some examples of inhumane farming methods
however not many people know a lot of examples. They are very limited in
knowledge about inhumane farming methods
Question 4- Three out of five respondents knew that if animals live in a confined
space it may affect the food it supplies to humans. This indicates to us that people
just eat food without knowing that it may be harmful to them and lead us to ill health
An overall conclusion- People are aware of inhumane farming methods but not many
people know the causes of it and the effects of it. People need to still learn a lot more
about inhumane farming methods and the effects of it as it can harm us and lead to
ill health.

5. Recommendations
Workable solutions to the problem of inhumane farming methods are:
 Taking help of the governmental schemes
 Protesting against low quality seeds and fertilizers
 Teaching farmers about the needs of animals and hence measures to be
taken to save animals.
 Buying welfare and eco-friendly food products from markets or farms (Brainly,
August 2019)
6. Bibliography

From a book:
 Maskew Miller Longman. 2012. Focus Life Orientation. Forest drive,
Pinelands, Cape Town. South Africa.

From the internet:

 Brainly.In, falakshadab. 2019. Inhumane Farming Methods. South Africa
https://brainly.in/question/11839086
Accessed: 16 August 2019
 Eionet Europa. 2021 Environmental Degradation. South Africa
https://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/en/concept/15154
Accessed: 1 June 2021
 Library guides. 2020. Inhumane factory methods and environmental
degradation. South Africa
https://libraryguides.law.pace.edu/c.php?g=452979&p=3107602
Accessed: 13 April 2020
 Brainly.in. 2017. Examples of inhumane factory methods. South Africa
https://brainly.in/question/11695794?tbs_match=2
Accessed: 8 November 2017
 Four paws international. 2019. Examples of inhumane factory methods. South
Africa
https://www.four-paws.org/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals
Accessed: 10 August 2019
 Peta.2018. Examples of inhumane fctory methods. South Africa
https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/
Accessed: 15 July 2018
 CIWF.2018. How animals are affected by inhumane farming. South Africa
https://www.ciwf.org.uk/factory-farming/animal-cruelty/
Accessed: 13 April 2018
 Quora. 2018. How animals are affected by inhumane farming. South Africa
https://www.quora.com/How-are-animals-affected-by-inhuman-farming-
methods-which-are-detrimental-to-both-animals-and-crops
Accessed: 13 August 2018
 World health protection. 2020. Minimizing effects of inhumane farming. South
Africa
https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/our-work/animals-farming-supporting-
70-billion-animals/farm-animal-welfare
Accessed: 10 April 2020
 Stats. Oecd. 2011. Environmental degradation. South Africa
https://www.oecd.org/env/indicators-modelling-outlooks
Accessed: 11 December 2011
 Brainly.in. 2019. Solutions to prevent inhumane farming. South Africa
https://brainly.in/question/11916168
Accessed: 20 August 2019