agriculture – Sitopian Pollution

Review: Air Pollution, Food Production and Food Security

Jialing Zhong the big picture November 12, 2020agriculture, air, dust, erosion, farmers, fertiliser, foodsecurity, foodwaste, health, ozone, pesticide, review, sitopia, transport 0 Comment

harvesting crops in field — Harvest season in Pesotum, Illinois, by James Baltz, 2019, Unsplash.

When it comes to food production, air pollution is arguably much more prone to being overlooked than soil and water pollution, due to how it cannot be easily identified by the naked eye.

However, another bigger issue is how we tend to only consider the impacts of air pollution from the perspectives of agriculture and public health. On the contrary, there have not been many studies performed on the wider implications of air pollution on food security. Today, our review of a journal article, Air pollution, food production and food security: A review from the perspective of food system, by Sun, Dai and Yu (2017) will focus on how air pollution brings about changes in our food system.

When Food Pollutes Our Earth

Jialing Zhong after nom November 1, 2020November 1, 2020agriculture, air, fertiliser, foodwaste, ghg, soil, water 0 Comment

monkey eating watermelon on street — A monkey gobbling up pieces of smashed watermelon on a street in Ubud, Indonesia, by Radoslaw Prekurat, 2017, Unsplash.

Remember how I mentioned that food can be both a victim and perpetrator of environmental pollution in my very first post? Today, we will explore the links between food waste and environmental pollution, to give you a better idea of why we should avoid wasting food if we want to save our planet.

Debate: #supportlocal?

Jialing Zhong on the move October 25, 2020October 25, 2020agriculture, energy, foodmiles, foodsecurity, ghg, sitopia, transport 0 Comment

food on plate — An Asian-style meal, by Drew Taylor, 2018, Unsplash.

A friend once told me of her intention to switch to consuming plant-based milks as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to regular milk, but faced many hurdles in doing so. Apart from the fact that certain types of plant milk (e.g. oat) are much more expensive than regular milk, the issue of additional food miles incurred by the import of these food products also adds a new layer to this dilemma.

The Sad Story of Poisoned Pork (and Beef)

Jialing Zhong Uncategorised October 11, 2020agriculture, animals, dioxin, foodscandal, health, livestock, pcb 0 Comment

Processed meat products served on a mixed platter — Because no one enjoys having poison in their delicious ham platter, by Jess May Russell, 2019, Unsplash.

The Irish Potato Famine in the mid-19th century is probably Ireland’s most well-known food-related disaster. But have you ever heard of the Irish Pork Crisis?

(And no, this has got nothing to do with the swine flu.)

Review: Farming after the Fukushima Accident

Jialing Zhong Uncategorised October 7, 2020October 7, 2020agriculture, disaster, farmers, health, japan, radiation, review 0 Comment

coastal Fukushima — An empty field in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, by Rikako Matsuoka, 2020, Unsplash.

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

An Alternative Approach to Farming

Jialing Zhong Uncategorised October 6, 2020October 6, 2020agriculture, erosion, farmers, fertiliser, foodsecurity, sedimentation, sitopia 0 Comment

plants in soil — Plants growing healthily in the sun – an ideal depiction of agriculture, by Dylan de Jonge, 2017, Unsplash.

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.

Discussion: Keeping the Cows at Bay

Jialing Zhong Uncategorised October 2, 2020October 2, 2020agriculture, animals, erosion, farmers, grazing, livestock, nitrogen, phosphorus, sedimentation, water 0 Comment

cows grazing in field — A herd of cows grazing freely in a field, by Priscilla Du Preez, 2017, Unsplash.

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.

Discussion: A Perennial Plan

Jialing Zhong Uncategorised September 25, 2020September 25, 2020agriculture, erosion, farmers, foodsecurity, fruits, perennialcrops, sedimentation, water 0 Comment

Apple – an example of a perennial crop, by Priscilla Du Preez, 2019, Unsplash.

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.

Did They Forget The Coffee Filter?

Jialing Zhong Uncategorised September 20, 2020September 25, 2020agriculture, erosion, eutrophication, fertiliser, flood, foodsecurity, hydrology, phosphorus, sedimentation, water 0 Comment

(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.)

Devastatingly Dangerous Tools

Jialing Zhong Uncategorised September 6, 2020September 7, 2020agriculture, chlorpyrifos, ddt, health, pesticide 0 Comment

Insect in a field — An insect in the middle of a field, by Joseph Northcutt, 2019, Unsplash.

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.

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