Delivering reliable, no-nonsense information about our food, health and the environment.
Irrigation systems offer a variety of benefits. They allow for the growth of a wider variety of crops. They can be timed so that the hands-on portion of crop production is a little less cumbersome. They protect crops from irregular and dry weather conditions. They support leaching, which can remove harmful, crop-damaging salts within in …
Continue reading "8 essential questions to ask before installing an irrigation system"
Irrigation is defined as the artificial application of water to the soil through various systems of tubes, pumps, and sprayers. Approximately 20% of the world’s agricultural land is irrigated, yet 40% of the world food supply comes from irrigated lands with 70% of the world’s freshwater reserves being used for irrigation purposes. The main …
Agricultural drainage serves two purposes. The first is for the removal of excess surface and subsurface water. The second is to remove excess soluble salts with the (excess) water from the drained soil profile. There are two options for drainage systems. The first is a surface drainage system. A surface drain removes excess water from …
Continue reading "reasons for and benefits of agricultural drainage"
Human and livestock have lived in ecological harmony for 10,000 years. True! It is only with the emergence of modern industrialized agriculture that livestock production has become ecologically harmful. Livestock competes with humans for food and water Technically speaking, pigs and chickens are in competition with humans because we can consume similar foodstuffs. However, in …
“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” - Abraham Lincoln Agriculture is defined as the science, art, and business of cultivating soil, producing crops and raising cattle. It is more commonly referred to as farming. Without it, society as we know …
The article Air Pollution by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations by P. Patel and T.J. Centner is justification for the regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOS). Reasons include the health and environmental implications of CAFOS, a current lack of regulation and measurable standards and the currently unsuccessful legislation and guidelines. Two major points of the …
Continue reading "air pollution by concentrated animal feeding operations"
WHAT IS HORTICULTURE? Horticulture is a $17 billion [USD] industry that produces more than 2.4 billion tons of goods annually. It provides employment and income [something particularly beneficial to women in developing countries], as well as aesthetic, sociological, and psychological benefits. Civilization is dependent on the products produced by horticultural endeavors for the food that …
ECOSYSTEMS UNITED 