Mass Cattle farming within modern societies can pose many environmental implications, if caution is not taken. Not only do they contribute to land degradation, they contaminate soil and water, promote over consumption, and waste excessively high amounts of resources. For many cities in Canada, this problem affects the condition of their environment. Key initiatives and programs are being mounted, now more than ever, to aid in minimizing such a demanding issue. More specifically, in Edmonton the framework that has been implemented to address these issues have been provided by several grants, courtesy of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency. These grants amounting to approximately $2 million, were issued in the beginning of 2011, and are to be used over the course of the next two years to introduce increases in sustainability, and a decrease in their ecological footprint. This long-term initiative includes the maintenance and improvement of: energy efficiency, water management, product and business development, food safety, bio-security, and leadership in trade. Such topics are categorized into 23 programs across 12 areas within Alberta. Through initiatives, programs, alternatives, and renovations the industry has high hopes for dramatic changes to their ecological footprint. (Canada News Centre, 2011) This is, said to be, achieved by the utilization of the crisis management theory. (Charlebois, Sylvain et al, 2007) As seen in figure 1, a long-term solution can be mapped out with basic stages of recovery and effect along the way. With these trials come tribulations in the mounting of such ambitious goals. Is it practical to believe that all these stages above can be achieved in roughly two years? Will the agency hold the trade ...
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Joel Salatin is a 57 year old farmer who has been farming full time since 1982 on his farm “Polyface” which is located in Swoope, VA, where he is somewhat of a local legend in farming. “The farm services more than 5,000 families, 10 retail outlets, and 50 restaurants through on-farm sales and metropolitan buying clubs with salad bar beef, pastured poultry, eggmobile eggs, pigaerator pork, forage-based rabbits, pastured turkey and forestry products using relationship marketing” (Salatin, Polyface.com). Mr. Salatin utilizes a unique method of farming, a fact which makes him so profoundly interesting. The style in which he farms his land is termed “mob grazing”. Mob grazing is the process in which different animals are rotated at different times throughout the farms’ fields. He is an advocate not just for the human well being but for the world’s ecological sustainability and the continuance of growth.
This article has stressed the importance of the early conservationist impulse in Canada. Gillis suggests the most important contribution of the entire controversy was made by anti-pollution advocates of government officials to research, investigate and regulate the dumping of waste. (100) Gillis believed that this decision led to a more activist government which would cater to the public interest in the future with a theme of the relationship of Canadians with their environment (natural, social and economic) which will lead to the development of the country in a period of national transformation. (101)
From a financial and marketing standpoint, the effects have been catastrophic. In some areas, milk production has decreased by an average of two liters daily and calving index (efficiency at which new calves are produced) went down by an average of twenty days (Davies NP). Th...
Now, sustainable development and quality of life are crucial to the well being of our nation. Thus, I have pondered many a year on this very important matter and have consulted a very knowing Canadian of my acquaintance at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The amount of natural resources in this country being usually reckoned infi...
Furgan, C & Prowse, D (2007). From Impacts to Adaptation: Canada in a Changing Climate 2007”. Natural Resources Canada. 2010. Retrieved from http://adaptation.nrcan.gc.ca/assess/2007/ch3/index_e.php >
This paper intends to examine the Canadian political economy in terms of its past and present developments that have significant implications on the environment and policy-making from the perspective of environmental economics. The parallels that could be drawn in order to examine the link between the Canadian political economy, the environment, and policy-making intersect upon the historical processes within natural resources extraction based, market-oriented economy. In the conclusion, this paper invokes the time for change in terms of gradual transitioning and/ or transforming to alternative economy that recognizes sustainability, acknowledges the finiteness and exhaustion of country’s natural recourses, and celebrates the shift towards
Adapting agriculture to climate change is essential to increase resilience of farmers and other players in the food system. Adapting food systems to climate change will take long-term visioning, targeted research, development of new technologies and human capacity development. Resilience in the farmers’ level will involve implementation of sustainable farming practices, diversification and an increased emphasis on management of the entire agro-ecological
Global Environmental matters are of grave concern to many Canadian businesses. Issues such as global growth, war, and climate change have a negative impact on our businesses. These problems have negative consequences because people become displaced, have little access to water & food as a result of war and climate change. In this environment, Canadian businesses would have a hard time growing their companies and creating new products because of the limited
Robinson, P. (2009). Urban Sustainability in Canada: The Global-Local Connection. In C. Gore, & P. Stoett (Eds.), Environmental Challenges and Opportunities: Local-Global Perspectives on Canadian Issues (pp. 159-181). Toronto: Edmond Montgomery Publications.
A varied sequence of crops provides benefits that a monoculture cannot. A monoculture is an unnatural system; the relationship between soil, plants, and climate is designed to be balanced by diversity. A carefully planned rotation that considers as many aspects of this relationship as possible is a significant step toward establishing sustainability. Although not all the effects of rotatio...
Another aspect we looked at was water consumption. The amount of water required to raise cattle for beef is shockingly high. And a lot of this is not only due to the direct consumption of water by the cattle, but the indirect consumption through the food they eat. The crops themselves require a lot of water as well. Combine the water for agriculture for the beef cattle and the direct consumption of water and we find that “nearly half of the water used in the United States” is strictly used for the beef cattle industry. To put this into perspective, and to understand what “50%” of American water use looks like, let’s look at the followin...
One of the main contributors to anthropogenic climate change is agriculture, which makes this study so vital to understanding and implementing the joined efforts of mitigation and adaptation, as well as policymaking. Three questions that the researchers were hoping to be able to answer at the end of the study were: 1) Do farmers consider mitigation when managing the soil?; 2) What is the prevalence of adaption actin?; and 3) what is the connection, if any, between the perception of climate change risk and mitigation and adaptation actions, respectively?
In the fast paced twenty-first century it seems that bigger is always better, however, this is not always true, especially when it comes to food; more specifically how food is produced. The negative effects of our national agricultural system affect everyone from coast to coast in almost to many ways to count. Conventional agriculture alone is the primary cause of water pollution in the United States (Winchester). Its prevention of biodiversity in relationship with its use of various chemicals generates a plethora of adverse effects on the environment; along with its soil erosion and lack of long-term soil productivity it makes us wonder why we still continue this practice (Delate). For the most part, it 's because we think that conventional
Wilcock, D. A. (2013). From blank spcaes to flows of life: transforming community engagment in environmental decision-making and its implcations for localsim. Policy Studies 34:4, 455-473.
Climate change is currently affecting agriculture because it is causing prolonged droughts, violent flooding, sea level to rise, and also health related issues. Droughts and flooding utterly affect agriculture because it damages cultivation since the amount of water applied to crops and farming is fundamental to the...