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
63
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 does the author think should be taken into account in arguing about organic farming?
选项
A、Growth in world population.
B、Deterioration in soil fertility.
C、Inequality in food distribution.
D、Advance in farming technology.
答案
C
解析
推理判断题。第三段前两句提到,批评人士认为有机农业低产。第三句指出,支持者认为有机农业的环境优势远超低产。定位句提到,有时被排除在这些争论之外的事实是;我们已经生产了足够的粮食来养活全世界74亿人口,但却未向所有个人提供获得粮食的适当途径。由此可见,作者认为这个被排除在讨论之外的事实应被纳入考虑,而未向所有个人提供获得粮食的适当途径表明粮食分配并不平等,故答案为C)。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/TYP7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
Children’sHealthcareofAtlantawantstomoveGeorgiaoutofthetop10listforchildhoodobesity(肥胖),officialssaid.Doc
It’swellestablishedthatsmokingcigarettes,especiallylargequantitiesofthem,isbadforyourhealth.Butanewstudyshow
A、Tosuggestandassistchildren’splay.B、Togivechildrenopportunitiestoplay.C、Tomakechildrenexcited.D、Topreventchil
A、Lookinthemirroranddotheself-talk.B、Getwellpreparedbeforemakinganychange.C、Makealittlechangesintheirlifest
AstudypublishedintheNewEnglandJournalofMedicineestimatedthatthereareanaverageof30in-flightmedicalemergencies
中国的桥梁建设有着悠久的历史。中国古代桥梁以木材和石头为主要建筑材料,形式多样,极富特色。中国现存最古老的桥梁为隋代建造的安济桥,位于河北省赵县。安济桥又名赵州桥,桥长50.82米,桥宽9米,为国家重点保护的文物(culturalrelic)。清朝末年,
A、Challenges.B、Disappointments.C、Sorrows.D、Intolerance.D
A、Collectashtreeseedsforexperiment.B、Preservethehealthyashtreeseeds.C、Setupanewseedbankforresearch.D、Develop
A、Romanticlove.B、Mysterymurder.C、Sciencefiction.D、Oceanadventure.B问题询问男士最近的那本书是关于什么的。男士说这部小说写的是一个谋杀之谜,它基于几年前发生在佛罗里达州的真实谋
A、Lossoftheforests.B、LossofitshabitatC、Human’slimitlesshunting.D、Limitedfoodresources.B录音提到,对于现存的熊类而言,最大的威胁是它们栖息地的
随机试题
发生溶血反应患者的尿液颜色呈
治疗小儿暑邪致惊之急惊风的代表方剂是
咨询服务招标评标方法的种类有哪些?它们各适用于什么样的任务?
通常在一国支付系统中处于核心地位的机构是()。
正确的风险应对措施,应包括实施行动(应急)步骤、时间和费用预算,最后是()。
下列属于系统性风险特征的是()。Ⅰ.无法通过分散化投资来回避Ⅱ.大多数资产价格变动方向往往是相同的Ⅲ.由同一个因素导致大部分资产的价格变动Ⅳ.风险可以分散化
项目投资评价指标中,静态回收期指标的主要缺点有()。
考察党政领导干部,主要是考察其在现在岗位上的工作实绩。()
依照我国刑法相关规定,以下情形中构成犯罪的是()。
Pleaserefamiliarizeyourselveswiththefollowingpoolsafetyprecautions.Asarecreationmanager,youareresponsiblefordis
最新回复
(
0
)