Natural Resources and Energy: Florida Everglades

Effects of Agriculture

The Everglades' freshwater ecosystem supplies vital services to the local population, such as the maintenance of South Florida's agriculture and drinking water (National Wildlife Preservation, 2012). However, these services are rarely accounted for in decision making in regards to land use and planning. As a result of the natural services being taken for granted, Agricultural scientists agree that modern agriculture faces an environmental calamity. Specifically, " the very nature of the agricultural structure and prevailing policies have led to this environmental crisis by favoring large farm size, specialized production, crop monocultures and mechanization" (Altieri, 2001).

The absence of diversifications and rotations of crops, necessary for the self-regulating process, induces the agroecosystems to rely on vast amounts of chemicals, such as fertilizer nutrients. Moreover, crops ineffectively absorb the chemical fertilizers, thus contaminating the surface and ground water. According to Altieri (2001), "In...
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