Ecological history refers to the interaction in the environment that continued f

Question

Ecological history refers to the interaction in the environment that continued for a long span of time.

Early farming methods impacted negatively on the climate. 1.Methods like slash and burn degraded the atmosphere to much extent. Burning down the forest areas increased the air pollution. Also the amount of food produced were less.

2. After the cultivation the croplands were kept fallow. The lands were rendered useless as there were no variety of crops or any methods of enhancing the nutrients of the soil.

3. The greenhouse gases emitted from the farming has also prevented the ice age and thus we are in an interracial age thats growing warmer and warmer.

4. Cultivating rice produced methane too.

describe which main point you found most important. Identify how it relates to your life, community, or career.

Explanation / Answer

Point not. 1 i.e. "Methods like slash and burn degraded the atmosphere to much extent. Burning down the forest areas increased the air pollution. Also the amount of food produced were less." is of most importance according to me.

It is estimated that shifting cultivation accounts for about 70% of the deforestation in Africa, 50% in Asia and 30% in Latin America of the 14 million hectares of tropical moist forests currently destroyed every year. Tropical deforestation is responsible for 18% of current global warming, for most of the decimation of plant and animal genetic diversity, and for threatening the stability of many watersheds.

The fragmentation of natural habitat loss native species and invasion of more exotic weeds arise and burning down of sun-dried vegetation pollutes the air with carbon- monoxide, nitrous oxide and many other harmful gases are some of the consequences of shifting cultivation on environment.

There is no doubt that shifting cultivation is destabilizing the environment by means of deforestation, soil erosion and emission of carbon dioxide by the burning of Jhum fields.

Also, for the same reasons, fields may gradually lose the fertility they once had due to repeated slash and burn. The result may be desertification, a situation in which land is infertile and unable to support growth of any kind. This may lead to shortage in overall food production to an increasing population in the world.

The practiced has been criticized by numerous scientists, environmentalist, foresters, developmental practitioners, policy makers as well as the general public’s being primitive, backward, destructive or wasteful, unproductive and exploitative and the cause of widespread environmental degradation. Shifting cultivators are blamed for the destruction much of the world’s tropical forest, land degradation, atmospheric pollution and global climatic change. As a result, shifting cultivation in many forms as being destructive to the environment because forest areas are being converted to agriculture through its practices thus, diminishing the area under primary forest.

Though slash and burn agriculture doesn't directly relate much to my life , community or career but pollution and shortage of food is of huge concern.Rice is usually produced through slash and burn agriculture and also rice is my staple food. So if the price of rice increases just because of shortage in production (as an after effect of slash and burn agriculture), then it would be a prior concern to me.

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