Environmental issues of agriculture as a consequence of the intensification of the development of agricultural industry

The paper deals with the environmental issues of agriculture. Examples are given that pose a threat to the vital activity of living organisms from various types of agricultural and human activities. The subject of the study is the analysis of environmental issues arising from the intensification of the development of agricultural industry. Intensive agricultural activity leads to pollution of surface rivers, lakes, seas and groundwater, soil degradation and aquatic ecosystems; violation of the water regime in large areas during drainage and irrigation; desertification due to wind erosion; destruction of natural habitats of living organisms of flora and fauna. An urgent problem of agriculture is a decrease in the content of vitamins and microelements in crop production and the accumulation of harmful substances in them. The reasons for these negative processes are soil degradation, intensification of agricultural production.

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THE DEVELOPED AND THE DEVELOPING WORLD IN THE BIODIVERSITY REGIME

EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) ◽

10.36713/epra8592 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 362-366

Author(s):

Fahima Khanum

Keyword(s):

Genetic Resources ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Molecular Forms ◽

Environmental Services ◽

Agricultural Crops ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Agricultural Ecosystems ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

Living Organisms ◽

International Environmental Problems

Human societies have a major impact on their environment and with the tendency to exploit inexhaustible resources man has led to the degradation of these resources. Environmental issues became the focus of international concern due to a rising awareness of the risks and implications of international environmental problems. Due to concerns regarding species extinction, depletion of genetic varieties, destruction of natural habitats, deforestation and disruptions in atmosphere there was an increased interest in preserving biodiversity. Conservation and protection of biodiversity became important as biodiversity provides the human societies with a number of important services, which include enhancing the productivity of natural and agricultural ecosystems, providing insurance against attacks on agricultural crops by pathogens, and providing us with valuable knowledge of novel genetic and molecular forms. Biodiversity offers genetic resources for food and agriculture. Living organisms provide irreplaceable environmental services upon which humanity is critically dependent, such as keeping soil fertile, absorbing pollution, breaking down waste, and pollinating crops. One study estimates that the value of 17 such natural services is between US $16-54 trillion per year, with an average of US $33 trillion per year

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METHODOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH OF PERSONALITY SELF-DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES

Psychology of Personality ◽

10.15330/ps.8.1.97-103 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 97-103

Author(s):

Svitlana Kuzikova

Keyword(s):

Professional Training ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Life Strategy ◽

Psychological Resources ◽

Vital Activity ◽

Development Organization ◽

Self Development ◽

Individual Consciousness ◽

The Subject ◽

The Individual

The author's approach to the empirical study of the peculiarities of self-development of a person has been considered. The criteria of self-development as a subject activity have been characterized. Its indicators have been given. The psychological resources of personal self-development have been singled out: the need for self- development as its source and determinant; conditions that ensure its success; mechanisms as functional means and conditions for its implementation. Their essence has been revealed. The need for self-development has been determined by the actualization of the characteristics of self-development (self-activity, vital activity, development of self-consciousness) and has been occurred when the content structure of the individual consciousness and the transformation of semantic entities changed. Conditions of self-development has been defined by mature I of personality, openness, tolerance to the new, the presence of a conscious goal of self-realization and active life strategy. Reflection, self-regulation and feedback have been considered as mechanisms of self-development. The methodical approaches and means of studying the peculiarities and factors of the development of the subject of self- development in adolescence in the process of professional training have been offered, and the results of their integrated empirical research have been highlighted. Particular attention has been paid to the analysis of the level of actualization of self-development resources among students, discovered with the author's diagnostic method "DCPSD" (Dispositional Characteristic of Personality of Self-development). It has been proved that psychological resources as a set of possibilities of development already exist in the psychological reality of a person. It has been shown that the dominance of the level of self-development resources’ actualization of the individual (and their combination) can be correlated with the dimensions of the individual psychological space, indicating the individual peculiarity of the personal self-development organization. It has been noted that, at the same time, actualization, strengthening and harmonization of all psychological resources of a person self-development, enrichment of its relations with the environment and other people, and increasing spirituality is necessary for the implementation of progressive conscious personal self-development. У статті розглянуто авторський підхід до емпіричного вивчення особливостей саморозвитку особистості. Охарактеризовано критерії саморозвитку як суб’єктної діяльності, наведено його показники. Виокремлено психологічні ресурси особистісного саморозвитку: потребу в саморозвитку як його джерело і детермінант; умови, які забезпечують його успішність; механізми як функціональні засоби і умови його здійснення. Розкрито їх сутність. Потреба в саморозвитку визначається актуалізованістю характеристик саморозвитку (самоактивність, життєдіяльність, розвиненість самосвідомості) і виникає при зміні змістової структури індивідуальної свідомості та трансформації смислових утворень. Умови саморозвитку окреслюють зріле Я особистості, відкритість, толерантність до нового, наявність усвідомленої мети самоздійснення та активної життєвої стратегії. Як механізми саморозвитку розглядаються рефлексія, саморегуляція та зворотній зв'язок. Запропоновано методичні підходи і засоби вивчення особливостей та чинників становлення суб’єкта саморозвитку в юнацькому віці в процесі фахової підготовки, висвітлено результати їх комплексного емпіричного дослідження. Особливу увагу приділено аналізу рівня актуалізації ресурсів саморозвитку у студентів, виявленого за допомогою авторської діагностичної методики «ДХСО». Доведено, що психологічні ресурси як сукупність можливостей розвитку вже існують у психологічній реальності людини. Показано, що домінування рівня актуалізації ресурсів саморозвитку особистості ( та їх поєднання) можна співвіднести з вимірами психологічного простору особистості, що свідчить про індивідуальну своєрідність організації особистісного саморозвитку. Зазначено, що в той же час для здійснення прогресивного усвідомленого особистісного саморозвитку необхідна актуалізація, взаємопосилення і гармонізація всіх психологічних ресурсів саморозвитку особистості, збагачення її зв’язків із навколишнім середовищем та іншими людьми, підвищення духовності.

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Resistance of Binding Systems of Various Compositions to the Action of Molds

Stroitel nye Materialy ◽

10.31659/0585-430x-2020-786-11-41-46 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 786 (11) ◽

pp. 41-46

Author(s):

V.V. STROKOVA ◽

◽

V.V. NELUBOVA ◽

M.N. SIVALNEVA ◽

M.D. RYKUNOVA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aging Process ◽

Building Materials ◽

Environmental Safety ◽

Fungal Resistance ◽

Building Structures ◽

Vital Activity ◽

Regulatory Documents ◽

Living Organisms ◽

Biological Corrosion ◽

Test Objects

The dynamic development of urbanization contributes to an increase in emissions of industrial waste, which is the cause dysfunction of the ecosystem balance and leads to the development of biological corrosion on building materials associated with the products of the vital activity of microorganisms. In this regard, it is necessary to assess the resistance of composites to predict the durability of building structures under conditions of biological influence of microorganisms. Binder systems of various compositions were studied: cementless nanostructured binders (NB) based on quartz sand and granodiorite, gypsum, Portland cement and alumina cement. The toxicity of binders was assessed by biotesting on living organisms – cladocerans Daphnia Magna – according to the criteria of the intensity of their growth and viability. As a result, the high environmental safety of NB is substantiated, and the ranking of the studied binders according to the degree of increase in their toxicity to test objects is presented. Fungal resistance was assessed by the ability of molds for growing and reproduction on the studied samples. It was found that the most active in terms of the development of binders were representatives of the genus Aspergillus, the intensity of growing of which in all variants did not decrease below 3 points. Gypsum and NB were especially vulnerable, where the degree of fouling repeatedly reached 5 points. Even the initially biostable cement, after the aging process, lost its stability at different extent. The obtained results indicate the need to increase the resistance of composites for various purposes under conditions of biocorrosion at the stage of design and updating of regulatory documents, including tests for fungal resistance in the list of mandatory.

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A Comparison of Approaches to Regional Land-Use Capability Analysis for Agricultural Land-Planning

Land ◽

10.3390/land10050458 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 458

Author(s):

Tara A. Ippolito ◽

Jeffrey E. Herrick ◽

Ekwe L. Dossa ◽

Maman Garba ◽

Mamadou Ouattara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Crop Production ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Arable Land ◽

Agricultural Activity ◽

Field Samples ◽

Agricultural Potential ◽

Fertility Data ◽

Using Data

Smallholder agriculture is a major source of income and food for developing nations. With more frequent drought and increasing scarcity of arable land, more accurate land-use planning tools are needed to allocate land resources to support regional agricultural activity. To address this need, we created Land Capability Classification (LCC) system maps using data from two digital soil maps, which were compared with measurements from 1305 field sites in the Dosso region of Niger. Based on these, we developed 250 m gridded maps of LCC values across the region. Across the region, land is severely limited for agricultural use because of low available water-holding capacity (AWC) that limits dry season agricultural potential, especially without irrigation, and requires more frequent irrigation where supplemental water is available. If the AWC limitation is removed in the LCC algorithm (i.e., simulating the use of sufficient irrigation or a much higher and more evenly distributed rainfall), the dominant limitations become less severe and more spatially varied. Finally, we used additional soil fertility data from the field samples to illustrate the value of collecting contemporary data for dynamic soil properties that are critical for crop production, including soil organic carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen.

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Environmental issues and international relations, a new global (dis)order - the role of International Relations in promoting a concerted international system

Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional ◽

10.1590/0034-7329201500110 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 58 (1) ◽

pp. 191-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Joana Castro Pereira

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Natural Resources ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Positive Impact ◽

International System ◽

Global Environmental Change ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Global Environmental ◽

The Subject

Is it possible to talk about the rise of a new global (dis)order founded on the challenges posed by environmental issues? Through the review of the state of the art on the subject, this article analyzes the growing importance of the environment, and natural resources in particular, in international relations; and aims to raise awareness among International Relations scholars to the potential positive impact of the development of the discipline in integration with global environmental change studies.

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Does Interactivity increase map user’s reasoning? A study with environmental map users

Abstracts of the ICA ◽

10.5194/ica-abs-1-250-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

André Luiz Alencar de Mendonça ◽

Carina Coelho Lyra

Keyword(s):

Environmental Issues ◽

Small Scale ◽

Natural Ecosystem ◽

Interactive Maps ◽

System Usability Scale ◽

User Groups ◽

The Subject ◽

Study Case ◽

Amazonas State ◽

Environmental Map

Abstract. Concomitant to massive use of interactive maps the actual research agenda in cartography use and user’s issues address the need of evaluating interactivity for specific map uses and users (ROTH et al. 2017). There is established scientific discussion concerning spatial tools and cartographic representations effects on learning and on increasing user’s spatial capabilities and thematic knowledge which lead science of maps to develop methods for evaluating map user and use. This in order to better comprehend and quantify relationships around the extensive universe of map interactivity and contributing to advance a comprehensive theory in how to design interactions when dealing with spatial-temporal representations. As an area of growing interest for the last decade, this research field is being susceptible to technologic advances such as ubiquitous mapping, and map usage became a state-of-the-art study case for nearly all new interactive devices and systems.There are several dimensions to comprehend interaction. This work presents a study case based on the concepts of map interface complexity model (Mendonça, Schmidt & Delazari, In Press) focusing on the interaction operators (Roth, 2013) and its effects on map reasoning (Olson, 1976; MacEachren and Ganter, 1990; Roth, 2012) and on cognitive workload (Hart & Staveland,1988) and SUS (System Usability Scale &ndash; Brooke, 1986), the later related to self-perception of usability, with both associated indicating better user experiences in the interaction with devices and interfaces (Longo and Dondio 2015; Borsci, Federici and Lauriola, 2009). Preliminary tests carried out with URUT usability remote evaluations showed more than 80% of usability issues can be assessed from workload and SUS forms (Mendonça, 2017)The experience of the 1st author working with public sector and spatial analysis upon conservation of environment in the Amazonas state can be used to estimate that thousands of maps are produced every year to depict present and past situations of the subject, and these are being used by at least three main user groups: environmental professionals, which includes geographers, geologists, environment, forest, agronomic and fishing engineers, both in the public and private &ndash; including NGO &ndash; sectors; education professionals and students, including high school, technical, graduation and post-graduation levels; society in general, considering the appeal of preserving natural ecosystem in one of the most diverse tropical forests in the world. These groups are used to define the study users sample.Since this study is focused in map use and user’s interaction, it carried out series of tests to measure and evaluate the role of interactivity in different levels of map tools interactions. Performance on better decision making and better understanding of environmental reality was stated and related to user interactions in order to answer if the variable level of interactivity can be related to better results on pointing out solutions to common maps ultimate goals: to support local and state policies on small scale issues like solid waste residuals disposal in small cities or analyze deforestation patterns together with forest fire focus against conservation units and the mosaic of protected areas. The study is part of a larger project which seeks to make better use of interactive technologies and to increase map use by different actors involved in the subject of monitoring Amazonas State environmental issues. This implies in identifying potential insights on environmental map use at local levels.The research main goal was to answer if levels of interactivity will play direct role on increasing understanding upon environmental issues depicted in interactive maps. Secondary research questions include: 1) If environmental professionals consider using interactive mapping techniques when presenting results or studies related to the thematic, and if this can be perceived by means of their strategies of using their own maps or thematic interactive maps built for them. 2) What are current usability and acceptability gaps of proposed interactive map model considering the three evaluated user groups? 3) Will other continuum like the type of input device, user’s personal characteristic plays a more decisive role in the user’s performance? 4) Workload and Usability are related to task performance success when using interactive maps?

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Advances in soil conservation research: challenges for the future

Spanish Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.3232/sjss.2014.v4.n3.05 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Author(s):

Ildefons Pla

Keyword(s):

Environmental Protection ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Crop Production ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Water Degradation ◽

Empirical Approaches ◽

Soil And Water

Increased human influences on soils frequently result in widespread land and soil degradation. The processes of soil and water degradation are closely linked, as unfavourable changes in the hydrological processes affect soil water regimes. In the last 15-20 years there has been increased interest in human-induced climate change, associated with increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Most of the present and future problems of land and soil degradation, water supply and natural disasters are mainly attributed to these climate changes. At the same time, and probably related to it, there has been a change in the focus of research on soil and water conservation. From the late 1960s there was an increasing interest in stimulating studies related to soil and water conservation. This was a great change from the previous emphasis on more static studies of the characteristics of the soil resource, mainly for soil classification and mapping, and for land evaluation related to agricultural and other uses. This situation was due to the increasing evidence of the global problems of land, soil and water degradation, and their effects on food production and the environment. Particular attention was paid to the processes of soil and water degradation in relation to their use and management for agricultural purposes. These efforts led to the development of models and evaluation systems mainly using empirical approaches. Later studies demonstrated the limitations of the generalized universal use of these empirical approaches. Concurrently there was an increase in related organizations, conventions, congresses and conferences associated with the renewed interest on soil and water conservation. A global assessment of human-induced soil degradation (GLASOD) demonstrated the paucity, difficult accessibility and poor quality of basic information. This information, however, is essential for adequate planning and effective application of practices to prevent soil and water degradation. The most recent conventions and programs at international and regional levels are generally based on re-interpretations, and a different processing method or representation of old information using “new” terminology. In other cases, new information has been mostly generated through indirect or remote sensing deductions, usually without adequate ground-truthing. The decreasing public or private support for more integrated interdisciplinary studies and the compulsion to quickly publish papers has resulted in a very specialized and isolated consideration of different aspects related to the degradation of soil functions. This frequently results in over-simplifications, failures and even contradictions in the proposed strategies to control soil degradation. Currently we have reached quasi-stagnation in soil conservation research and a new series of soil conservation terms (soil quality, desertification, tillage erosion) and clichés (“C sequestration”, “no-tillage”) have been introduced. These are derived from different interests, but generally they are very empirical approaches without a strong scientific basis. However, they attract increased attention from organizations setting policies and providing funds for research in soil and water conservation, and as a consequence many research activities in the last 20 years have been concentrated in such topics. Regretfully, these approaches have very limited accuracy and are insufficient for developing adequate policies for land use and management. Climate, soil and socio-economic conditions differ greatly from one location to another and are changing continuously. There cannot therefore be simple universal prescriptions regarding practices of sustainable soil management for crop production and environmental protection or for mitigation of the greenhouse effect by “C sequestration” in soils. The adequate selection of those sustainable practices must be based on research with a broader vision of soil conservation, where all the system components and their interactions are considered and understood with a far-sighted approach, to ensure that short term gains in one aspect or location do not induce long-term losses in other aspects or elsewhere. Research needs to be directed to better the understanding of the processes and reactions in soils related to chemical recycling and water balance over a range of spatial and temporal scales, with the common objective of improving crop production and environmental protection. Lasting solutions will only be found if adequately trained researchers in soil science and hydrology, who recognize the complexity of the problems, develop appropriate strategies.

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Mulching: A viable option to increase productivity of field and fruit crops

Journal of Applied and Natural Science ◽

10.31018/jans.v9i2.1306 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 974-982

Author(s):

Jagroop Kaur ◽

Harsimrat K. Bons

Keyword(s):

Soil Degradation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Soil Health ◽

Underground Water ◽

Soil Productivity ◽

Fruit Crops ◽

Horticultural Crops ◽

Weed Growth

Mulching plays an important role in production of agricultural and horticultural crops in the current scenario of declining water table, soil degradation and climate change. The main objectives of mulching are to prevent loss of water by evaporation, prevention of soil erosion, weed control, to reduce fertilizer leaching, to promote soil productivity, to enhance yield and quality of field and fruit crops. So, mulching is useful to save our underground water resource, soil and environment for sustainable crop production. In this review paper, the literature clearly shows pronounced effects of mulching on soil health by improving the soil structure, soil fertility, biological activities, avoid soil degradation in addition to moisture conservation, regulating temperature, encouraging change in favourable micro-climate, check weed growth and ultimately increasing the productivity, quality, profitability and sustainability of crops and cropping systems irrespective of the system/situation.

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First report on phytoplankton communities of Barishal City, Bangladesh

Current Botany ◽

10.25081/cb.2020.v11.6296 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 142-147

Author(s):

Shaswati Chakraborty ◽

Dipalok Karmaker ◽

Subroto Kumar Das ◽

Riyad Hossen

Keyword(s):

Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

Species Number ◽

Aquatic Environments ◽

Primary Producers ◽

First Report ◽

Biodiversity Indices ◽

Phytoplankton Communities ◽

Living Organisms ◽

The City ◽

Total Species

Phytoplanktons, also called microalgae, are microscopic photosynthetic living organisms that generally found in aquatic environments. Although they are considered as the most important primary producers and bioindicators of aquatic ecosystems, there was no previous report found for Barishal City about these tiny organisms. Consequently, the present study selected 10 freshwater reservoirs from the city to investigate phytoplankton communities and listed 110 taxa under 4 phyla, 7 classes, 18 orders, 24 families and 49 genera. The distribution of Chlorophytes was abundant relatively in terms of species number (45 taxa) followed by Euglenophytes, Chlorophytes and Cyanophytes in this area. Only Euglenaceae possessed one-third of the total species of this report. Among all stations, the highest number of taxa was recorded from station 2 and according to nine biodiversity indices, the station 2 and 9 showed comparatively good results. All of the recorded taxa were previously mentioned by different authors from Bangladesh.

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Investigation of the two-decade environmental impact of large-scale agricultural cultivation and its impact on climate change in the Lajta-Project

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-4863 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

András Polgár ◽

Karolina Horváth ◽

Imre Mészáros ◽

Adrienn Horváth ◽

András Bidló ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Winter Wheat ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Crop Production ◽

Large Scale ◽

Winter Barley ◽

Cultivated Plants ◽

Agricultural Activity

Crop production is applied on about half of Hungary&#8217;s land area, which amounts to approximately 4.5 million hectares. The agricultural activity has significant environmental impacts.Our work aims the time series investigation of the impacts of large-scale agricultural cultivation on environment and primarily on climate change in the test area by applying environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) method.The investigated area of Lajta Project can be found in the triangle formed by the settlements Mosonszolnok, J&#225;nossomorja and V&#225;rbalog, in the north-western corner of Hungary, in Gy&#337;r-Moson-Sopron county. The area has intense agri-environment characteristics, almost entirely lacking of grasslands and meadows.We were looking for the answer to the question &#8220;To what extent does agricultural activity on this area impact the environment and how can it contribute to climate change during a given period?&#8221; The selection of the plants included in the analysis was justified by their significant growing area. We analysed the cultivation data of 5 crops: canola, winter barley, winter wheat, green maize and maize. Material flows of arable crop production technologies were defined in time series by the agricultural parcel register data. These covered the size of the area actually cultivated, the operational processes, records on seeds, fertilizer and pesticide use and harvest data by parcels. The examined environmental inventory database contained also the fuel consumption and lubricating oil usage of machine operations, and the water usage of chemical utilization.In the life cycle modelling of cultivation, we examined 13 years of maize, 20 years of green maize, 20 years of winter barley, 18 years of winter wheat and 15 years of canola data calculated on 1 ha unit using GaBi life cycle analysis software.In addition, we also calculated by an average cultivation model for all cultivated plants with reference data to 1 ha and 1 year period.We applied methods and models in our life cycle impact assessment. According to the values of the impact categories, we set up the following increasing environmental ranking of plant cultivation: (1) canola has minimum environmental impacts followed by (2) green maize and (3) maize with slightly higher values, (4) winter barley has 6 times higher values preceded by (5) winter wheat with a slight difference. The previous environmental ranking of the specific cultivated plants&#8217; contribution was also confirmed as regards the overall environmental impact: canola (1.0%) &#8211; green maize (4.9%) &#8211; maize (7.1%) &#8211; winter barley (43.1%) &#8211; winter wheat (44.0%).Environmental impact category indicator results cumulated to total cultivation periods and total crop growing areas (quantitative approach) display the specific environmental footprints by crops. Increasing environmental ranking of environmental impacts resulted from cultivating the sample area is the following: (1) canola &#8211; (2) maize &#8211; (3) green maize &#8211; (4) winter barley &#8211; (5) winter wheat. The slight difference resulted in the rankings in quantitative approach according to the rankings of territorial approach on the investigated area is due to the diversity of cultivation time factor and the crop-growing parameter of the specific crops.Acknowledgement: Our research was supported by the &#8222;Lajta-Project&#8221;.

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