As evolution and advancement of the human race have taken place over time, agriculture has been identified as one of the tools that lead to negative impacts on the environment. This paper looks into the role played by agriculture in contributing to the concept of climate change. In addition, this paper looks into the agriculturally-oriented activities that can be used as a means of mitigating climate change. The main argument made in this paper is that agriculture is at the center of the concept of climate change, and while agriculture contributes to climate change, certain agricultural practices can be used to mitigate the threat to the environment.
The rise in population over time has necessitated the application of more effective ways of food production (Campbell et al. 40). To this end, humans have heavily invested in ways through which agricultural productivity can be optimized. This has led to the adoption of new forms of land use and mechanization. Besides, agricultural activity contributes a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions, according to environmentalists are the major causes of climate change (Marshall et al. 570). Such gasses include methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Another observation made in regards to the relationship between agriculture and climate change is the fact that various forms of land use have been noted to contribute to at least 30% of all carbon emissions (Campbell et al. 40). The argument here is that the modern day agricultural activity is an aspect that is at the center of any discourse regarding climate change. Agriculture, therefore, in collaboration with achieving efficiency in energy use, are the major drivers that can help in mitigating climate change.
Within agriculture, the first way through which climate change can be mitigated is through the application of agricultural practices that are friendly to the environment (Campbell et al. 41). To this end, environmentalists argue that activities such as having less emphasis on fertilizers and rotational grazing have the ability to mitigate the threat of climate change. An important aspect here, however, is organic agriculture. Organic agriculture holds the greatest potential for reducing carbon emissions . This is due to its insistence on using a considerably less amount of fossil fuel compared to the conventional approaches in agriculture. In addition, the organic approach to agriculture incorporates a majority of other environmentally sensitive approaches to agriculture, such as crop rotation and ignoring synthetic fertilizers. The application of organic agriculture on a global scale would point at the realization of balance in energy use.
Another way of using agriculture as a tool to manage climate change is ensuring that consumption of the agricultural product is in line with the effort to conserve energy (Marshall et al. 572). To this end, aspects such reducing the high rates of food losses and using more biofuels. In the effort to employ responsible agricultural practices in mitigating climate change, there is the need to invest more into the monitoring of the agricultural practices especially ones that lead to GHG emissions. In addition, policy makers across the globe need to employ policies on land usage that offer support to the efforts of mitigating climate change (Campbell et al. 42). Overall, the contribution of a variety of stakeholders either through ideas or finances is essential in using agriculture to mitigate climate change.
This paper recognizes that agriculture is a major contributor to the threat of climate change. Agricultural practices are recognized to be responsible for the emission of many greenhouse gasses. To this end, agriculture appears to be a key tool in the efforts to mitigate the threat of climate change. The practices documented in this paper include organic farming and the conscious use of energy.
Works Cited
Campbell, Bruce, et al. ""Sustainable intensification: What is its role in climate smart agriculture?."." Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 8 (2014): 39-43.
Lee, Ki Song, Young Chan Choe and Sung Hee Park. ""Measuring the environmental effects of organic farming: a meta-analysis of structural variables in empirical research."." Journal of environmental management 162 (2015): 263-274.
Marshall, Elizabeth, et al. ""Agricultural Production under Climate Change: The Potential Impacts of Shifting Regional Water Balances in the United States."." American Journal of Agricultural Economics 97.2 (2015): 568-588.
