Chemistry Blog

Industrial agriculture is a form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops
Its beginnings came with the Industrial Revolution, and more specifically the Green Revolution; starting mid twentieth century in the United States. Industrial agriculture is the systematic application of science to agriculture. One method of increasing crop yields through genetic engineering, mainly of three grains, maize, wheat, and rice, generally referred to as high-yielding varieties, and the accompanying technologies of pesticides, synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, and irrigation projects.

Condensation occurs as the temperature of the air or earth changes. Water changes states when temperatures fluctuate. So when the air cools enough, water vapor has to condense on particles in the air to form clouds.

As clouds form, winds move them across the globe, spreading out the water vapor. When eventually the clouds can't hold the moisture, they release it in the form of precipitation, which can be snow, rain, hail, etc.

The next three stages: infiltration, runoff, and evaporation occur simultaneously. Infiltration occurs when precipitation seeps into the ground. This depends a lot on the permeability of the ground.

Permeability is the measure of how easily something flows through a substance. The more permeable, the more precipitation seeps into the ground. If precipitation occurs faster than it can infiltrate the ground, it becomes runoff. Runoff remains on the surface and flows into streams, rivers, and eventually large bodies such as lakes or the ocean. Infiltrated groundwater moves similarly as it recharges rivers and heads towards large bodies of water.

As both of these processes are happening, the power of the sun is driving this cycle by causing evaporation. Evaporation is the change of liquid water to a vapor. Sunlight aids this process as it raises the temperature of liquid water in oceans and lakes. As the liquid heats, molecules are released and change into a gas. Warm air rises up into the atmosphere and becomes the vapor involved in condensation. This will allow the plant to be watered naturally.
Irrigation is the artificial application of water, from rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers, to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops. Agriculture that relies on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed farming and in some cases both methods are used as water distribution is varied. Differences of soil and crop types also vary the amount of water needed. A main source of irrigation water is from dams.

Large dams provide water to around 30 per cent of the world’s irrigated area. Water from underground supplies most of the rest. Few countries have a full picture of their groundwater reserves, some of which lie so deep that they are inaccessible for all practical purposes. Meanwhile, pumps powered by cheap diesel and electricity are being used to extract groundwater for irrigation at a far faster rate than rainfall can renew it.

For example, "elevated water tables in heavily irrigated areas of arid regions have been the leading cause of salinization" as soluble salts in the earth rise with the water table. When the water evaporates, the salts are left in the soil layer. Moreover, irrigation leads to increasing concentration of toxic substances in water.


Growth in irrigation facilitated a rise in fertilizer use. With enough water plants can effectively use much more fertilizer. As low soil moisture limits nutrient uptake, without irrigation in arid and semiarid regions, yields would suffer. The adoption of high-yielding varieties and growing crops in drier environments have resulted in steadily rising shares of food production coming from irrigated lands.
Water affects soil quality and soil is part of the water cycle-- its structure has a major influence on water movement. If the water in a given ecosystem is altered significantly in quantity or quality, the hydrological cycle is affected and the ecosystem itself will change. How water and soil are treated now influences their sustainability. To help increase sustainability, being more effective is important. For example, through agroecology, permaculture, organic agriculture, and increasing biodiversity.