Agro-Industrialization and Its Environmental Impacts: A Global Perspective

Posted on Sep 2, 2024 in Geography

Agro-Industrialization

Agro-industrialization refers to the use of the industrial system in agricultural production, especially in terms of processes such as mechanization, automation, research, and marketing. It is the form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops.

Characteristics of Agro-Industrialization:

  • Very large farms
  • Concentration on one (monoculture) or a small number of farm products
  • A high level of mechanization
  • Heavy usage of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides
  • Sophisticated ICT management systems
  • Highly qualified managers

Examples:

  • The Canadian Prairies
  • The corn and wheat belts in the USA
  • The Russian steppes
  • Mato Grosso in Brazil

Agro-industrialization is a consequence of:

  • The globalization of agriculture
  • The profit ambitions of large agribusiness companies
  • The drive for cheaper food production

Environmental Impact of Agro-Industrialization

Capital-intensive farming leads to:

  • Deforestation
  • Land degradation (chemicals) and desertification
  • Lowering of the local water table due to irrigation. In arid climates, it may lead to soil salinization due to intense evaporation
  • Contamination of water supplies
  • Air pollution (animals – methane, NOx)
  • Increasing concern about the long-term health of farmworkers
  • Landscape change
  • Declines in biodiversity

Impact of Food Production on the Environment:

  • GHG emission
  • Environmental degradation through the depletion of resources such as air, water, and soil
  • Destruction of ecosystems and habitat destruction
  • Extinction of wildlife
  • Pollution

Green Revolution

The Green Revolution refers to the introduction of high-yielding seeds and modern agricultural techniques in developing countries.

Environmental Impact of the Green Revolution:

  • High inputs of fertilizer and pesticides have been required to optimize production
  • Increased problems of salinization and waterlogged soils along with the expansion of irrigated areas, leading to the abandonment of significant areas of land
  • Considerable negative effect on biodiversity due to high chemical inputs
  • Ill health in some people due to contaminated water and other forms of agricultural pollution

E-Waste

E-waste is a growing problem in all countries because of the rapid spread of ICT. Technological advancement is so rapid that there is a high and ever-increasing turnover of products, with an escalating amount of equipment becoming obsolete.

E-waste flows from HICs to LICs, e.g., from Europe to China (NIC). The consequences could be damaging to public health and local environments if not addressed correctly.

China produced about 2.3 million tonnes of e-waste domestically a year, second only to the USA with 3 million tonnes. In August 2008, the environmental organization Greenpeace highlighted Ghana as a major recipient of foreign e-waste in an article entitled ‘Poisoning the Poor – Electronic Waste in Ghana’. Previously Greenpeace had brought the attention of the world to similar practices in China, India, and Nigeria. This waste is often laden with toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury, and brominated flame retardants. Most workers, many of them children, wear no protective clothing or equipment.

The e-waste problem is becoming particularly serious in developing countries due to:

  • A lack of legislation and enforcement
  • A lack of controlled take-back systems
  • Informal sector dominance in recycling
  • A lack of awareness by government, institutions, and the general public
  • Illegal importation of e-waste from developing countries, often using false documentation
  • The increasing outsourcing of ICT from developed to developing countries

Transboundary Pollution

Acid Rain:

  • Increase in acidification due to human activities
  • pH level less than 5.56
  • Sulphur dioxide is the major producer
  • Dry deposition occurs close to the source of emission and causes damage to buildings and structures
  • Wet deposition occurs when the acids are dissolved in precipitation and may fall at great distances from the sources

To reduce acid rain:

  • Reduce the use of fossil fuels
  • Use less sulphur-rich fossil fuel
  • Use alternative energy sources that are renewable and clean
  • Remove pollutants before they reach the atmosphere

Pollution Incidents

Chernobyl, Ukraine:

The world’s worst nuclear power plant accident occurred at Chernobyl, Ukraine, in April 1986. Reactor number four exploded, sending a plume of highly radioactive fallout into the atmosphere, which drifted over extensive parts of Europe and eastern North America. Two people died in the initial explosion, and over 336,000 people were evacuated and resettled. In total, 56 direct deaths and an estimated 4,000 extra cancer deaths have been attributed to Chernobyl. The estimated cost of $200 billion makes Chernobyl the most expensive disaster in modern history.

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is arguably the most well-known international civil society organization working to improve environmental management around the world. It was founded in Vancouver, Canada, in 1971.

Aims:

  • Catalysing an energy revolution to address climate change, the main threat facing the planet
  • Building on a protection and recovery system established to manage land-based over-exploitation
  • Protecting the world’s ancient forests and the animals, plants, and people that depend on them
  • Working for disarmament and peace by tackling the causes of conflict and calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons
  • Reducing the synthesis of chemicals
  • Campaigning for sustainable agriculture by rejecting genetically engineered organisms, protecting biodiversity, and encouraging socially responsible farming

Greenpeace in the UK:

In the UK, Greenpeace has been campaigning against plans to build a third runway and sixth terminal at London’s Heathrow airport. The expansion of Heathrow is an issue that could drag on for some time because of such opposing views.

Despite its founding in North America, Greenpeace has achieved much more success in Europe, where it has more members and generates most of its funds.

Criticism:

Like any large campaigning organization, Greenpeace is not without its critics. Greenpeace has been variously criticized by governments, industrialists, political lobbyists, and other environmental groups for being too radical and mainstream, for bordering on eco-tourism, for causing environmental damage, and for valuing non-human causes over human causes.

However, this is not always an easy process, as various studies of the relationship between greater environmental knowledge and changing attitudes have shown. Attitudes can be difficult to change, and this can vary considerably with the issues under consideration. The prevalence of other pressing issues at the time can have a substantial impact. At times of economic crisis or when there are major political or social concerns, people may downgrade environmental issues on their personal agendas.

Economic Development and Environmental Awareness

The link between economic development and environmental awareness is well established, although significant variations can still occur. For example, the Scandinavian countries have generally shown greater concern for environmental issues than other affluent nations.

Civic Society

is any organization or movement that works in the area between the household, the private sector and the state to negotiate matters of public concern, Civic societies include non-government organization (NGOs), community groups, trade unions, academic institutions and faith-based organization. Civil society is composed of all the civic and social organizations or movements that form the basis pf a functioning society: Local groups fronted by individuals (such as Tim Smit of the Eden project, Dureell trust for conservation) International groups (such as Greenpeace and World-wide fund for nature) Public servants such as politicians and scientists. Mining (metals (iron ore and copper), industrial minerals (lime and soda ash). Construction materials (sand and gravel), energy minerals (coal, oil and natural gas)). The impact of mining: habitat destruction, smelting causes deforestation. (The Serra Pelada gold mine was briefly the world’s largest alluvial gold deposit. High mercury has discovered in local water courses and habitat. Pollution is resulted from extraction, transport and processing of the raw materials, and affect air, soil and water. Water is affected by heavy metal pollution, acid mine drainage, eutrophication and deoxygenation. Dust can be local problem and Mercury is also found in the water. (in brazil, up to 100 tonnes of mercury have been introduced into rivers by gold prospectors.) Mercury is very toxic and could enter food chain. Derelict land resulted from extraction produces landforms of various sizes, shapes and origin. A major subdivision is between excavations and heaps (environmental impact).