ENV 101 Module Two Worksheet
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Feb 20, 2024
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ENV 101 Module Two Worksheet
This worksheet will provide you with an opportunity to explore the economic pros and cons involved in environmental science methods. Economic considerations are an important piece of your final project. To complete this assignment, review the Module Two Worksheet Guidelines and Rubric document. Option 1: Alternative Methods of Farming
1. Select one of the following alternative forms of farming: small-scale farming, alternative livestock production systems, or perennial agricultural systems. Small-scale farming
2. How does the method work? What is the impact of this method on the environment?
The method of small-scale farming involves key concepts like cultivating small amounts of land, usually 1-10 acres, maximizing yields from them. On a small farm, the work is mostly done by hand with very little machinery. This manual labor can be gentler on the soil when tilling, for example, providing a better home for the plant roots. As opposed to monocultures (farming systems based on growing only one single type of crop at a time), crops are rotated to support soil health, fertility, and nutrition, sometimes reducing the need for added fertilizer since one crop can provide nutrients for the next crop. By rotating crops, the farmers also interrupt pests’ reproductive cycles and reduce the need for pest control. Small farmers use various management practices to protect the environment and maintain profits such as planting cover crops which are grown to slow soil erosion, suppress weeds, enhance water availability, and provide many more benefits. Rotational grazing is also used. This method involves continually moving animals to different grazing areas permitting fields and grass to regrow with no disruptions. Soil health is improved with the distributed manure and erosion is less likely with rotational grazing. These practices leave opportunity for future generations and species to thrive.
3. List the economic pros and cons of the farming method:
Pros
Cons
1. No middlemen – product direct to consumers 2. Requires less capital because of inexpensive equipment like hand tools
3. Production techniques promote biodiversity
4. Nurtures support and growth of local communities
5. More job opportunities
1. Quantities cannot compete with industrial
growers 2. Financial uncertainty
3. Must evolve to respond to changes in environment
4.
Expenses can be higher for smaller quantity purchases
4. How do economic factors influence the use of this method of farming?
Farms with a gross cash income of $250,000 or less are classified as small by the USDA
(
Small Farms, Big Differences
, 2010c). Large amounts of land can be expensive, the start-up costs of a small farm can be attractive to most. Money can also be saved by skipping on some fertilizers due to the practices of farmers mentioned in response #2. Though small-scale farms have lower yields compared to large industrial farms, the environmental cost is not passed on to the consumer. “Sustainable systems involve less reliance on chemical inputs and decreased emphasis on economic efficiencies that shunt environmental costs onto society” (Horrigan et al., 2002a, p. 446).
5. Provide at least one government resource (.gov) to support your responses. Cover Crops and Crop Rotation
. (n.d.). USDA. https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/soil-
health/cover-crops-crop-rotation#:~:text=Cover%20crops%20are%20traditionally
%20planted,the%20soil%20later%20for%20enrichment
. Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R. Z., & Walker, P. O. (2002a). How sustainable agriculture can address
the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environmental Health Perspectives
, 110
(5), 445–456. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.02110445
Small and Family Farms
. (n.d.-a). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. https://www.nifa.usda.gov/topics/small-family-farms#:~:text=Protect%20and
%20enhance%20natural%20resources,Maintain%20rural%20populations
Small Farms, Big Differences
. (2010a, May 18). USDA. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2010/05/18/small-farms-big-differences
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