Environmental Science 1302- Brien Watson

                      1.0 Introduction to Regenerative Agriculture Regenerative agriculture is the practice of taking traditional agricultural/farming methods and making them more environmentally sustainable.  Traditional agriculture tends to focus more on prioritizing maximum product output and efficiency, and often utilizes artificial soils, fertilizers, and pesticides to increase and maintain farming output. This non-stop approach to agriculture has led to many negative environmental effects, such as fallow soil, desertification, increased carbon emissions, and climate change. Regenerative agriculture was created as a solution to the problems caused by traditional agricultural methods because, instead of going against nature, it works with nature to not only produce quality farming produce, but also keep the natural landscape healthy. It focuses on maintaining environmental biodiversity, improving the water cycle, ...

History of Agriculture Pre-Modern Agriculture 10,000+ years ago, humans switched from hunter-gathering societies to complex civilizations. Large scale agriculture develops in: Southwest Asia [9000 B.C.] (rye, emmer/einkorn wheat, hulled barley, peas, lentils, chickpeas, flax) Persian Gulf and around the Nile River; called the “Fertile Crescent” [7000 B.C.] (animal domestication of sheep, goats, and oxes) China [7000 B.C.] (rice and wheat) South America [3000-2700 B.C.] (maize, tomato, potato, pepper, squash, variety of bean) [5500 B.C.] Intensive domestication of animals and crop production leads to the settlement of human populations in specific regions. New agricultural techniques are developed. New World colonization leads to: The Atlantic Slave Trade Triangular Trade Expansion of European powers in the Americas Moving Towards Modern Agriculture: The Green Revolution Post WWII, agricultural production began to double at an increasing rate.  Chemical warfare in WWII led to the de...