MY AGRICULTURAL ASSIGNMENT

NAME: KEIANN SIMON CLASS: FORM 4A TEACHER: MS. PAUL

QUESTIONS
LIST FACTORS THAT AFFECT SOIL NUTRIENTS AND
EXPLAIN ONE.

DISCUSS THE EFFECTS OF EROSION IN AGRICULTURE AND

STATE HOW YOU CAN REDUCE EROSION.

STATE ONE UNCONDITIONAL METHOD OF FARMING.

EXPLAIN THE PROCESS.

ANSWERS
Nutrient availability is influenced by several factors and these include:
1. Soil Ph 2. The Presence of Other Nutrients 3. Leaching 4. Crop Removal 5. Oxidation and Reduction 6. Burning 7. Erosion

Leaching: This encourages the draining of mineral salts from the topsoil
to subsoil thereby depriving plants of such nutrients.

Soil erosion: can affect the soils fertility and its ability to grow plants,
because the fertile soil was carried away by the water Here are some of the harmful effects of erosion: The farmlands become unproductive or entirely barren. The agricultural output of these regions wont be able to feed the population, and this will cause immigration which is an important cultural and economic problem. As the pastures disappear, raising livestock becomes harder and harder. The income and job vacancies drop. The disappearance of vegetation causes avalanches, landslides and floods. The soil carried by erosion fills the artificial lakes, lowering their economic lifetime. Land without soil and vegetation isnt able to absorb rain and snow and natural water sources cant replenish themselves. Loss of soil and vegetation causes climate changes, the ecologic balance becomes disturbed and large amounts of natural resources are also lost. Thousands of years are required for the recreation of the lost soil. Soil erosion can be reduced by building terraces on hillsides, irrigation schemes to overcome droughts, planting more trees to bind the soil together and make wind breaks, and using fertilizers in overpopulated areas to make the soil more fertile. It is very important that the farming techniques used do not damage the structure of the soil, as this makes it easily eroded. Good farming techniques include contour ploughing, crop rotation and keeping the soil rich in humus.

Organic farming
Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control. Organic farming uses fertilizers and pesticides but excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured synthetic fertilizers, pesticides which include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, plant growth regulators such as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, genetically modified organisms, human sewage sludge, and nanomaterial. Organic farming methods combine scientific knowledge of ecology and modern technology with traditional farming practices based on naturally occurring biological processes. Organic farming methods are studied in the field of agro ecology. While conventional agriculture uses synthetic pesticides and water-soluble synthetically purified fertilizers, organic farmers are restricted by regulations to using natural pesticides and fertilizers. The principal methods of organic farming include crop rotation, green manures and compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation. These measures use the natural environment to enhance agricultural productivity: legumes are planted to fix nitrogen into the soil, natural insect predators are encouraged, crops are rotated to confuse pests and renew soil and natural materials such as potassium bicarbonate and mulches are used to control disease and weeds. Hardier plants are generated through plant breeding rather than genetic engineering.