User:Gmebrie3/sandbox

Maria S Steenberger

Team Members: Brian Healy, Ethan Huffman

Wikipedia Article 1

February 24, 2020

The Wiki Article that I will be developing is Deforestation and Climate Change: Agricultural Expansion. In researching for this article, I used sources gathered from ProQuest Social Sciences Database provided through Indiana University Library Resources as well as the course syllabus readings. All Articles used for reference and in fact checking are peer-reviewed articles. Our group chose this broader topic of Deforestation and Climate Change because of its direct relationship to Human Dimension of Global Environmental Change. Clearly if humans are to use natural resources such as large expanses of forest there will be effects to the environment and to humans, in both multi-scalar and multi-levels extents. The subheading that I chose to work on specifically for this Wiki entry, Agricultural Expansion is of particular interest to me because of its connection to Food Studies and Food Production. Additionally, our team thought that both the topic and subtopic are very relevant to the coursework and to our current socio-political situation yet were both undeveloped.

I have edited and corrected the existing content and citation in paragraph one, my addition of new content begins in paragraph two.

The number one largest primary cause of deforestation and acute degradation of forested areas is agriculture. According to Wageningen University and Research Centre, agriculture accounts for more than 80% cause of deforestation is agriculture of deforestation. [8] The continued increase of demand for timber and agricultural products are only two of the critical indirect drives drivers. Forest are also giving way to plantations for coffee, tea, palm oil, rice, rubber, and many other highly demanded products. These The rising demands or for certain products and global trade arrangements causes cause forest conversions, which ultimately leads to soil erosion. The top soil oftentimes erodes after forests are being cleared which leads to sedimentation increase in rivers and streams. Over time, agricultural land degrades and becomes almost useless causing producers to find new productive lands.

Example of Clear Cut Deforested Land

Researchers Offiong and Ita question whether increased food production through cropland expansion would be possible without resulting in greater climatic impacts. This is posited given that deforested soil is often unsatisfactory for growing crops. Poor quality soil would require extensive modifications and amendments through, primarily, the use of chemical fertilizers. The chemical based alterations along with contemporary farming practices would lead to erosion and soil depletion unless continually treated with these substances. These repeated practices would create an unsustainable cycle needed to keep producing expected yields.

           Deforestation without reforestation, has negative climatic effects but particularly for agricultural expansion, it creates a scenario for diminishing returns.  As noted by Offioing and Ita, it leads to a cycle of shrinking crop yields and having to amend poor quality soils continuously due to soil degradation. It also increases the occurrence of floods, landslides, drought, erosion, and desertification as well as disruption of the water cycles and loss of biodiversity. The loss of tree cover results in all of these environmental changes because of the initial disruption in the water system and loss of CO2 transfer.  

In addition to land usage for deforested land being used for plant-based food production it is also fused or also animal-based food production. Animal-based food production (whether for meat, dairy, or other products) impacts the land in a different way. Land used for grazing livestock is vulnerable to erosion, depletion of the soil biome, and desertification. Additionally, livestock contribute high levels of methane emissions, which have an enormous environmental impact.

           Deforestation, particularly in large swaths of the Amazon, where nearly 20% of the rainforest has been clear cut, has climactic effects and effects on water sources as well as on the soil. Moreover, the type of land usage after deforestation also produces varied results. When deforested land is converted to pasture land for livestock grazing it has a greater effect on the ecosystem then forest to cropland conversions.

Studies conducted in the Ecuadorian Amazon by Kovacic and Salazar found that deforestation and agricultural expansion not only cause environmental degradation but they do not guarantee the expected economic benefit for the small scale farmers nor for the national economies of governments who are proposing agricultural expansion programs. Farmers in these studies were encouraged to change from a merely subsistence farming system to an intensive “for-profit” farming system where products grown were primarily coffee, oil palm, and cocoa, all for export. According to Kovacic and Salazar, there is not an equal exchange between agricultural expansion and economic gains as touted by both governments and large scale agricultural production companies. This holds true for small scale farmers who move from subsistence farming to a small scale intensive farming scheme regardless of product grown.

Anthropogenic Biomes of the World

It is also important to note that not all deforestation is as result of agriculture expansion. Food production is only one driver. Between 2001 and 2015 only 27 +/- 5% of all forest disturbances globally were for agricultural expansion. Among other drivers were urbanization, forest fires, logging, and for shifting agriculture practices. The percentages are 0.6 +/- 0.3% for urbanization, 23 +/- 4% for forest fires, 26 +/- 4% for logging, and 24 +/- 3% for shifting agricultural practices. The types of drivers vary greatly depending on the region in which they take place. The regions with the greatest amount of deforestation for livestock and row crop agriculture are Central and South America, while commodity crop deforestation was found mainly in Southeast Asia. The region with the greatest forest loss due to shifting agriculture was sub-Saharan Africa. These distinctions are important in light of Silverio’s research findings that not all deforestation effects the environment and climate in the same way.