ENVS 2130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Soil Retrogression And Degradation, Phytophthora Infestans, Tillage

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Environmental Sciences
• Course: ENVS 2130
• Professor: Kim Bolton

Document Summary

First unit we learned about the green revolution. This revolution" in agriculture is responsible for the tremendous amount of food that is produced in the world today. Scientific and technical advancements have led to better agricultural equipment, improved management and breeding practices and the development of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. At the same time, we have seen an increase demand for food, feed, fiber and fuel. This demand has been driven by many factors including (but not limited to): population growth, changes in diet, the bioenergy industry (corn grain ethanol, soybean biodiesel, etc. ) The pressures to meet the demands for food, fiber and fuel are compounded by natural resources scarcity, particularly with respect to land and water availability. All of these pressures/challenges have resulted in a tremendous cost to our environment. Economists refer to these costs as negative externalities or costs to a party who did not choose to incur that cost.