Much of the economy in the industrialized world is dependent on cheap and easily-available resources as well as fossil energy. Such a dependency is largely grounded in the belief that continuous economic growth is not only possible but also necessary. Accordingly, consumption is intended to perpetually expand. The products generated by such a system lack …
what are small farms? how do small farms contribute to society? what challenges are small farmers faced with?
Producing a vast amount of the world's food, small farms are valuable assets that contribute to long-term economic sustainability and food security. What actually constitutes a small farm is hard to specify as there are extreme variations in societal structure, ergo many definitions exist. In the United States, a small farm is defined as any …
how are plants propagated?
Sexual Reproduction New plants are created via plant propagation of which there are two types: sexual and asexual. With sexual propagation, there are two sources of parental DNA resulting in the creation of a third living organism. Sexual propagation involves the floral components of the plant and is the result of the pollination of megagametophyte …
geoengineering explained: the benefits and challenges of biochar
Biochar, a form of carbon dioxide sequestration (SDR), is a solid material obtained from the carbonization of biomass. This process produces highly porous charcoal. The biomass is then buried to lock the carbon into the soil which can improve soil functions. CO2 typically produced by the natural degradation of biomass is also reduced. This practice is …
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the advantages and disadvantages associated with intercropping
Despite the fact that intercropping has ancient roots, it is only more recently that institutional attention has been paid to this growing method. The majority of formal research to date focuses on large-scale, rural production. Findings show that intercropping has both advantages and disadvantages. However, many of the potentially negative qualities of intercropping can be …
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an introduction to intercropping
Intercropping is a growing method rooted in ecological diversity. In intercropped systems, two or more component crops are grown together for a given growing period. There are currently four common intercropping patterns: Strip: crops are grown simultaneously in independent rows within the same fieldRow: crops are grown together simultaneously and a minimum of one crop is …
geoengineering explained: the benefits and challenges of enhanced weathering
Enhanced weathering is the process of exposing large quantities of minerals that are reactive with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and storing the resulting compound in the ocean or soil. It is considered a form of carbon dioxide removal or CDR. BENEFITS CHALLENGES Has the potential to increase terrestrial and oceanic net productivity Can be …
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