Human Evolution is the longest tale anyone has ever read. It is believed that it started as early as 7 million B.C. He discovered fire, tools, and metals and stood out differently than other animals. But the real milestone of his journey was the discovery of agriculture.
In the Neolithic period, or New Stone Age (around 9,000 B.C. to 3,000 B.C.), some nomadic groups stopped hunting-gathering lifestyles and began cultivating land.
From then, coming to this 21st century, we have experienced several versions of farming practices. Today, we use hybrid varieties of seeds, efficient water irrigation systems, advanced fertilizers, and modern digital technologies to farm the land.
However, it is still one of the most challenging jobs for humankind.
Today, in this blog, we will see what are the 6 biggest threats to farming on a global scale.
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1. Climate Change
The agriculture sector is highly dependent on climatic conditions. A favorable climate leads to the increase in the crop yield. However, changing weather patterns such as droughts, heat waves, and flooding affect farming severely.
As climate changes drastically, farmers must adopt new technologies requiring more investment. It increases their input costs.
2. Water Scarcity
Water is a non-separable component of agriculture. The crop needs water throughout its life cycle. Therefore, a continuous water supply is necessary to harvest a good crop. Farmers, who do not have proper access to water resources or face inadequate rainfall, may end up with huge losses in the farm.
3. Soil Degradation
Soil may degrade naturally and in manmade ways. The layer of soil gets washed away due to heavy rainfall and wind. Excessive use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides leads to soil degradation too. This leads to a decrease in land productivity and overall profitability of farmers.
4. Pest and Disease Outbreaks
Pests and disease outbreaks have always been a great threat to agriculture. They can damage standing crops in no time causing farmers to have a heavy loss. Pesticides have been used to curb their activities. But in the course of time, pests and diseases have become more resistant to these chemicals causing more loss of crops.
5. Economic Pressures
Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, and human resources are the essential inputs of farming. Fluctuations in their prices may affect the profitability of the farmers. Also, the government’s strict trade policies may impact their income negatively.
Marginal farmers are more vulnerable to these threats as their sources are limited. As a result, they struggle to meet even their basic needs.
6. Land Use and Urbanization
Due to the rapid growth of the population, urban and industrial areas have been expanding. In many parts of the world, fertile land has been used for residential, commercial, and industrial developments. This has resulted in a decrease in the available area for food production which ultimately has caused low production.
Global agriculture's challenges are more complex and interconnected to each other. Sustainable farming practices, technological innovation, and international cooperation will be required to address these threats. By understanding and mitigating these risks, we can work towards a more resilient agricultural system that ensures food security for future generations.
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