首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Organic agriculture is a relatively untapped resource for feeding the Earth’s population, especially in the face of climate chan
Organic agriculture is a relatively untapped resource for feeding the Earth’s population, especially in the face of climate chan
admin
2021-01-08
57
问题
Organic agriculture is a relatively untapped resource for feeding the Earth’s population, especially in the face of climate change and other global challenges. That’s the conclusion I reached in reviewing 40 years of science comparing the long-term prospects of organic and conventional farming.
The review study, "Organic Agriculture in the 21st Century," is featured as the cover story for the February issue of the journal Nature Plants. It is the first to compare organic and conventional agriculture across the main goals of sustainability identified by the National Academy of Sciences: productivity, economics, and environment.
Critics have long argued that organic agriculture is inefficient, requiring more land to yield the same amount of food. It’s true that organic farming produces lower yields, averaging 10 to 20 percent less than conventional. Advocates contend that the environmental advantages of organic agriculture far outweigh the lower yields, and that increasing research and breeding resources for organic systems would reduce the yield gap. Sometimes excluded from these arguments is the fact that we already produce enough food to more than feed the world’s 7.4 billion people but do not provide adequate access to all individuals.
In some cases, organic yields can be higher than conventional. For example, in severe drought conditions, which are expected to increase with climate change in many areas, organic farms can produce as good, if not better, yields because of the higher water-holding capacity of organically farmed soils.
What science does tell us is that mainstream conventional farming systems have provided growing supplies of food and other products but often at the expense of other sustainability goals.
Conventional agriculture may produce more food, but it often comes at a cost to the environment. Biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and severe impacts on ecosystem services have not only accompanied conventional farming systems but have often extended well beyond their field boundaries. With organic agriculture, environmental costs tend to be lower and the benefits greater.
Overall, organic farms tend to store more soil carbon, have better soil quality, and reduce soil erosion compared to their conventional counterparts. Organic agriculture also creates less soil and water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s more energy-efficient because it doesn’t rely on synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Organic agriculture is also associated with greater biodiversity of plants, animals, insects and microorganisms as well as genetic diversity. Biodiversity increases the services that nature provides and improves the ability of farming systems to adapt to changing conditions.
Despite lower yields, organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers because consumers are willing to pay more. Higher prices, called price premiums, can be justified as a way to compensate farmers for providing ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage or external costs.
What is the critics’ argument against organic farming?
选项
A、It cannot meet the need for food.
B、It cannot increase farm yields.
C、It is not really practical.
D、It is not that productive.
答案
D
解析
细节辨认题。第三段第一句指出,长期以来,批评人士一直认为有机农业效率低下,需要更多的土地才能产出等量的粮食。紧接着第二句进一步强调有机耕作的产量确实较低,平均比传统耕作少10%到20%。由此可见,批评人士反对有机农业的理由是它并非高产,故答案为D)。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/HYP7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
Peopleatthelowerendoftheincomescaletakemorepleasureintheirrelationshipsandenjoycaringforandconnectingwitho
UsingdatafromaresearchstudythattookplaceintheU.K.whichaskedfamiliestoreportontheirdiets,theteamfoundthat
Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingontheremark"Educationisaprogressivediscoveryofou
ThecityfinallywonapprovalforalimitedspeedcameraprograminJuneafteralongbattleinAlbany,andCityMayorBloomberg
Scatteredaroundtheglobearemorethan100smallregionsofisolatedvolcanicactivityknowntogeologistsashotspots.Unlik
ThedirectraysofthesuntouchtheequatorandstrikenorthwardtowardtheTropicofCancer.IntheSouthernhemispherewinter
生肖(ChineseZodiac)是指代表着每个人出生年份的十二种动物。它是中国民间计算年龄的方法,也是一种古老的纪年法(chronology)。生肖的产生可能源于古代人对动物的崇拜。关于人们为什么选择这十二种动物,以及为什么按照这样的顺序排列,有许多传
中华民族的传统文化博大精深、源远流长。文化交流绝不是让外国文化吞并本国文化,而是为了丰富和充实本民族的文化。文化来自民间,文化属于大众,保护文化遗产、繁荣民族文化,关系到每个公民。早在2,000多年前,中国就产生了以孔、孟(ConfuciusandMe
A、Theirassignments.B、Theiracademicresearch.C、Theirsummerholidayplan.D、Theirfinalexam.C
A、Theylivedasimplerlifethanvillagerstoday.B、TheyknewfewerpeoplethanvillagerstodayC、Theyfounditdifficulttoenj
随机试题
下述哪项检查有助于早期食管癌的诊断
各种类型干式相机成像原理的共同点是
上市公司应披露的定期报告中年度报告应在()内编制完成并披露。
基差为正且绝对值变小时,空头套期保值将盈利。()
甲出国3年,请乙代为付房租,每年租金为10万元,年末支付。假设银行存款利率为10%,甲现在应当替乙在银行存入()万元。(P/A,10%,3=2.487)
设有如下程序:main(){intn1,n2;scanf("%d",&n2);while(n2!=0){n1=n2%10;n2=n2/10;p
采用线性链表表示一个向量时,要求占用的存储空间地址()。
Whenthestockmarketturnsdown,holdersofcommonstockstraditionallybegintomovesomeportionoftheir(61)outofstoc
Throughouthistoryhas【C1】______changedhisphysicalenvironmentinordertoimprovehis【C2】______oflife.Withthetoolsoft
Imaginebeingaskedtospend12orsoyearsofyourlifeinasocietywhichconsistedonlyofmembersofyourownsex.Howwould
最新回复
(
0
)