OAI551 - ENVIRONMENT

AND AGRICULTURE
UNIT V EMERGING ISSUES

Global environmental governance – alternate culture systems – Mega

farms and vertical farms – Virtual water trade and its impacts on local
environment – Agricultural environment policies and its impacts –
Sustainable agriculture.
 Global Environmental Governance

Global Environmental Governance (GEG) is the sum of

organizations, policy instruments, financing mechanisms,
rules, procedures and norms that regulate the processes of
global environmental protection.
 Principles of Global Environmental Governance

Participation: Good governance needs to be participatory.

Participation can happen directly or through legitimate
intermediate institutions or representatives. It includes the
obligation of providing information. The rights of free association
and freedom of expression are fundamental to participation.
Rule of law: Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that
are enforced impartially. The judiciary and executive powers need
to be impartial and incorruptible.
Transparency: Transparency means that the decision-making
processes, as well as the enforcement of decisions, follow rules
and regulations. In addition, information needs to be freely
available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by
such decisions and their enforcement. Information needs to be
provided in an easily understandable form and through
appropriate media that reaches the people concerned.
Responsiveness: Good governance requires that institutions and
processes try to respond to all stakeholders within a reasonable
timeframe.
Consensus oriented: Good governance requires that different
interests within the society be taken into account and that decisions
follow the objective of reaching a broad consensus on what is in the
best interest of the whole community.
Equity and inclusiveness: Good governance does not only serve the
interests of the mainstream of society, but includes also its most
vulnerable and minority groups.
Effectiveness and efficiency: Good governance means that processes
and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while
making the best use of resources at their disposal. The concept of
efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the
sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the
environment.
Accountability: Accountability is a key requirement of good
governance. Governmental institutions, but also the private sector
and civil society organizations, must be accountable to those who
will be affected by their decisions or actions.
 Alternative Agriculture
The term 'Alternative agriculture ' as it applies to the area of agriculture
can be defined as 'A systematic approach to farming intended to reduce
agricultural pollution, enhance sustainability, and improve efficiency
and profitability.
Overall, alternative agriculture emphasizes management practices that
take advantage of natural processes (such as nutrient cycles, nitrogen
fixation, and pest-predator relationships), improve the match between
cropping patterns and agronomic practices on the one hand and the
productive potential and physical characteristics of the land on the other,
and make selective use of commercial fertilizer and pesticides to ensure
production efficiency and conservation of soil, water, energy, and
biological resources.
Examples of alternative agricultural practices include use of crop
rotation, animal and green manures, soil and water conserving tillage
systems, such as no-till planting methods, integrated pest management,
and use of genetically improved crops and animals.
Consonant with sustainable agriculture, alternative agriculture focuses
on those farming practices that go beyond traditional or conventional
agriculture, though it does not exclude conventional practices that are
consistent with the overall system'.
 Alternative Agriculture

Alternative farming. methods, which include local, non-industrial

farms; organic farms; hydroponic and aquaponic farms; and urban farms,
have the potential to increase our food supply while reducing energy use.
Only about 3% of current total food production in the U.S. is from
alternative methods.
 Alternative Agriculture

Alternatives include using animal and green manure rather than

chemical fertilizers, integrated pest management instead of chemical
pesticides, reduced tillage, crop rotation (especially with legumes to add
nitrogen), alternative crops, or diversification of the farm enterprise.
 Alternative Agriculture

1.Plant growth and crop production are complex processes that depend on many
interactions between organisms. The trend of modern agriculture has been:

2. To substitute monoculture and continuous culture for crop rotation and

diversified agriculture
3.To use genetically more uniform plants, that have a narrow genetic base
4.To use inorganic fertilizers, rather than the more difficult-to-use organic
manures, in combination with green manures
5.To use herbicides and pesticides to combat weeds and pests, rather than more
complex biological control mechanisms
6.To make bigger fields by eliminating all vegetation between them
 The Benefits of Alternative Agriculture

• Clean Water

• Productive Soils

• Health Benefits: Fewer Poisoned Workers

• Social Benefits
 Controlled-Environment Agriculture
 Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) is the modification of the
natural environment to increase crop yield or extend the growing
season.
 CEA systems are typically hosted in enclosed structures such as
greenhouses or buildings, where control can be imposed on
environmental factors including air, temperature, light, water,
humidity, carbon dioxide, and plant nutrition.
 In vertical farming systems, CEA is often used in conjunction with
soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and
aeroponics.
 Mega Farming

A farm containing very large numbers of livestock kept

in intensive conditions.
 Vertical Farming
Vertical farming is the agricultural process in which crops are
grown on top of each other, rather than in traditional, horizontal rows.
Growing vertically allows for conservation in space, resulting in a
higher crop yield per square foot of land used.
Vertical farms are mainly located indoors, such as a warehouse,
where they have the ability to control the environmental conditions for
plants to succeed.
Vertical Farming
 Techniques of vertical farming

Hydroponics
Hydroponics refers to the technique of growing plants without soil.
In hydroponic systems, the roots of plants are submerged in liquid
solutions containing macronutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulphur, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, as well as trace elements,
including iron, chlorine, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, and
molybdenum.
Additionally, inert (chemically inactive) mediums such as gravel,
sand, and sawdust are used as soil substitutes to provide support for the
roots.
The advantages of hydroponics include the ability to increase
yield per area and reduce water usage.
A study has shown that, compared to conventional farming,
hydroponic farming could increase the yield per area of lettuce by
around 11 times while requiring 13 times less water.
Due to these advantages, hydroponics is the predominant
growing system used in vertical farming.
 Aquaponics
The term aquaponics is coined by combining two words: aquaculture,
which refers to fish farming, and hydroponics—the technique of
growing plants without soil.
Aquaponics takes hydroponics one step further by integrating the
production of terrestrial plants with the production of aquatic organisms
in a closed-loop system that mimics nature itself.
Nutrient-rich wastewater from the fish tanks is filtered by a solid
removal unit and then led to a bio-filter, where toxic ammonia is
converted to nutritious nitrate.
While absorbing nutrients, the plants then purify the wastewater,
which is recycled back to the fish tanks.
Moreover, the plants consume carbon dioxide produced by the fish,
and water in the fish tanks obtains heat and helps the greenhouse
maintain temperature at night to save energy.
As most commercial vertical farming systems focus on producing a
few fast-growing vegetable crops, aquaponics, which also includes an
aquacultural component, is currently not as widely used as conventional
hydroponics.
Aquaponics
Aeroponics
Unlike conventional hydroponics and aquaponics, aeroponics does not require
any liquid or solid medium to grow plants in. Instead, a liquid solution with
nutrients is misted in air chambers where the plants are suspended. By far,
aeroponics is the most sustainable soil-less growing technique,as it uses up to
90% less water than the most efficient conventional hydroponic systems and
requires no replacement of growing medium. Moreover, the absence of growing
medium allows aeroponic systems to adopt a vertical design, which further saves
energy as gravity automatically drains away excess liquid, whereas conventional
horizontal hydroponic systems often require water pumps for controlling excess
solution. Currently, aeroponic systems have not been widely applied to vertical
farming, but are starting to attract significant attention.
Virtual water trade and its impacts on local
environment
 Virtual water Trade and its Impacts on local Environment

The virtual water trade (also known as embedded or embodied

water) is the hidden flow of water in food or other commodities that
are traded from one place to another.
The virtual water trade is the idea that when goods and services are
exchanged, so is virtual water.
Virtual water trade allows a new, amplified perspective on water
problems: In the framewond balancing of different perspectives, basic
conditions, and interests.
Analytically, the concept enables one to distinguish between global,
regional, and local levels and their linkages. However, the use of
virtual water estimates may offer no guidance for policymakers
seeking to ensure that environmental objectives are being met.
Virtual water Trade and its Impacts on local Environment

Increased water contamination and water extraction for

export from relative dry areas affects local ecosystems and
communities.

Simultaneously, the increased virtual water trade has weakened

the local control over water resources by local communities, to the
expense of multinational agribusiness and retailer companies.
 Agricultural Environment Policies and its impacts

Agricultural policy describes a set of laws relating to domestic

agriculture and imports of foreign agricultural products.
Governments usually implement agricultural policies with the goal of
achieving a specific outcome in the domestic agricultural product
markets.
Agricultural policies use predetermined goals, objectives and pathways
set by an individual or government for the purpose of achieving a
specified outcome, for the benefit of the individual(s), society and the
nations’ economy at large.
Agricultural policies take into consideration the primary, secondary and
tertiary processes in agricultural production.
Outcomes can involve, for example, a guaranteed supply level, price
stability, product quality, product selection, land use or employment.
 Agriculture policy concerns

Marketing challenges and consumer tastes

International trading environment
Infrastructure (such as transport, ports, telecommunications, energy and
irrigation facilities)
Technology (research, adoption, productivity, genetically modified (GM)
crops, investments)
Water (access rights, water trade, providing water for environmental
outcomes, assignment of risk in response to the reallocation of water from
consumptive to environmental use, accounting for the sourcing and
allocation of water)
Resource access issues (management of native vegetation, the protection
and enhancement of biodiversity, sustainability of productive agricultural
resources, landholder responsibilities)
 Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture consists of environment friendly

methods of farming that allow the production of crops or
livestock without damage to human or natural systems.
Elements of sustainable agriculture can include permaculture ,
agroforestry, mixed farming, multiple cropping, and crop rotation.
Sustainable Agriculture seeks to:
Increase profitable farm income
Promote environmental stewardship
Enhance quality of life for farm families and communities
Increase production for human food and fiber needs
IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Production of sufficient human food, feed, fiber, and fuel to meet the needs
of a sharply rising population
Protection of the environment and expansion of the natural resources supply
Sustainment of the economic viability of agriculture systems
 Impacts of Sustainable Agriculture

POLLUTION
Agriculture is the leading source of pollution in many countries.
Pesticides, fertilizers and other toxic farm chemicals can poison
fresh water, marine ecosystems, air and soil.
They also can remain in the environment for generations. Many
pesticides are suspected of disrupting the hormonal systems of
people and wildlife. Fertilizer run-off impacts waterways and coral
reefs
POVERTY
Farming is the only viable livelihood option for three-quarters of
the world's extremely poor people.
Subsidies provided by U.S. and European governments to their
agriculturalists encourage overproduction, which drives down
world prices and forces many producers in developing countries to
cut corners environmentally.
Producers facing declining harvests from cleared lands expand into
surrounding wild lands that are rich in biodiversity, resulting in a
cycle of increasing poverty and biodiversity loss
WATER CONSUMPTION
The agricultural sector consumes about 69 percent of the
planet's fresh water. Without creative conservation measures in
place, agricultural production consumes excessive water and
degrades water quality.
This adversely impacts freshwater systems throughout the
world.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Many farming practices—such as burning fields and using gasoline-
powered machinery—are significant contributors to the buildup of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
contends that the livestock sector alone is responsible for 18% of all
greenhouse gas production.
Additionally, clearing land for agricultural production is a major
contributor to climate change, as the carbon stored in intact forests is
released when they are cut or burned.
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