Agriculture and environment

Abstract

Agriculture came into existence about 15,000 years ago and passed through different stages of gathering, hunting, hoe culture, and sedentary agriculture, followed by modern agriculture. It began simultaneously in five world centers concentrating on different crops, most suited to the respective areas, and it was affected by changes in climate which determined the distribution of populations and their occupations. With the increase in population, the need for food progressively increased, necessitating introduction of modern agriculture to enhance production. The indiscriminate and faulty use of advanced technology to meet the food demand of fast- increasing populations added its share to the destruction of the environment. The two approaches that contributed to this were horizontal expansion and vertical expansion. The former resulted in deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, land salting, and water logging, as well as the frequent occurrence of droughts and famines; the latter destroyed the soil structure and fertility through decreased microbial populations, fish culture, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, in addition to producing water and soil pollution and serious health hazards in human beings and fauna. The real culprit of this geobiologic devastation is the population growth rate, which needs to be contained at safer levels.