When we look back at the infamous triple disaster which struck the Tohoku region of Japan in 2011, we tend to focus on the action: the debris-filled giant tsunami waves, and the path of destruction left behind by forces of nature. But what about the aftermath? Even after the removal of debris and reconstruction of buildings, pollution still exists in forms which cannot be seen by the naked eye. Read more
Hi there! Today, we will look at what some may consider to be a subset of organic farming – natural farming. This is an approach established by Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka in his book, The One-Straw Revolution, released in 1975.
When I was taking a massive open online course hosted by Esri in end-August, one of the activities required us to monitor the impact of livestock grazing on water quality in Oregon, United States of America. Personally, I think we may need to give more attention to the nonpoint-source water pollution caused by livestock grazing. And the problem is not just limited to cattle – even chicken, which is often touted as a more environmentally-friendly option, can facilitate freshwater pollution.
In our last four posts, we explored the consequences agricultural pollution can have on the environment. But the ultimate goal of educating people on the harmful impacts of pollutants is to inspire them to take action to prevent and mitigate these issues with consistent efforts. Today, I present some agriculture-related tips provided by government agencies from various countries, to guide farm owners on how to reduce the negative impacts of farming.
(Spoiler: no, they didn’t. In all honesty, I don’t think anyone has ever considered the use of filters to resolve sedimentation issues caused by agriculture, so that’s probably the wrong question to ask.)
(Also, I would like to apologise for not being able to update this blog for the past two weeks. I have been struggling with some mental health issues, but hopefully, things will continue to improve in the future.)
Many of us strive for perfection in whatever we do, particularly if our livelihoods are at stake. Perhaps it is this goal of attaining “perfection” that compels us to eliminate anything which we determine to be undesirable, even if they are a part of how life works. In the context of agriculture, this would equate to the use of pesticides, in the name of ensuring healthy plant growth.
In my last post, I gave a quick overview of how chemical fertilisers can have both positive and negative impacts on nature and humans. For today, we will delve deeper into the widespread use of nitrogen fertilisers in global agriculture by reviewing this article published in the October 2019 issue of Geographical.
Farming is a career filled with uncertainties – imagine having your annual income (and even food source) being threatened by natural hazards, pests, weeds, and many more dangers that could leave you and your family without sufficient resources to improve your standard of living. Other than having to live with a poor harvest, you may also find yourself negotiating with wholesalers and customers to reach a compromise regarding the lack of supply.
When I first decided on the topic for my pollution blog, I struggled to come up with a title which could encapsulate the complex relationship between food and pollution. It took me a couple of hours before I picked “Sitopian Pollution”, with the first word derived from sitopia, a term coined by Carolyn Steel.
According to Steel (2020), sitopia comes from the Greek terms sitos (“food”) and topos (“place”), and refers to the idea that our lives are shaped by food. Not only does food keep us alive and well, it also serves a multitude of socio-economic functions. However, I also believe it is exactly this omnipresence of food in our lives that makes pollution in our food system such a critical issue. Read more