BLOG POST 4: HOW WE CAN HELP
The environmental impacts that come from farming and producing avocados are considerably harmful to the environment. In my blog post #3 I mentioned how because avocados are produced at such an industrial level, mass amounts of pesticide are used to ward off pests and insects from damaging the crop. These pesticides such abamectin poison water resources and are harmful to wildlife and humans. Before the 1940’s synthetic pesticides did not exist and so farmers resorted to organic methods to protect their crops. These organic pesticides such as insecticidal soaps, corn gluten, baking soda, black pepper and garlic compounds etc. are known as bio-pesticides and are much less harmful to the environment. If we can resort to the implementation of natural solutions that do not require chemicals, we can achieve a much safer, cleaner environmental footprint and reduce the risks that pesticides propose to natural water resources, wildlife, and human health. One of the limitations that may present itself in achieving this goal is the accessibility to such bio-pesticides because they are not produced on an industrial scale and thus are limited, making it harder for farmers to obtain access to the quantities that they need. Another environmental impact associated with the farming of avocados is that these plants grow best in warm, humid, wet climates. Therefore, vast amounts of water are needed for avocados to grow at a proper rate to produce high yields of crop. A problem that arises with the necessity of such copious amounts of water is the use of local water supplies and streams to keep the plants growing, which can cause drought and endangers the reserve of natural water sources. Because a lot of the countries that produce substantial amounts of avocados are located in tropical climates, they receive a lot of rainwater. A solution to this problem would be to implement rainwater reservoirs and proper irrigation techniques to optimize water consumption for agricultural purposes. By saving rainwater and properly distributing it to the plants, we minimize the use of local water supplies which cause drought from overconsumption on a scale. One problem that may impede the implementation of proper irrigation and rainwater reservoirs would be the inability to obtain consensus from local authorities and the communities. Riparian rights towards the use of water might have been predetermined by contracts previously established by local governments and so amending these contracts may prove difficult. On an individual scale, families across the globe and nations produce a lot of plastic waste after visiting local supermarkets (places where avocados and other organic products are sold.) Many of these plastic bags do not end up being recycled and end up finding themselves in our oceans, rivers, forests. To attempt to mend this problem, I believe implementing packaging products such as bio-degradable silk bags that do not harm the environment because they decompose over time and produce less CO2 emissions during production. Another solution, which was seen In the documentary we watched on plastic bags could be using the media and propaganda to promote reusable grocery bags that serve more than for one use. How do list, there are limitations to this theory such as the hesitation of American family switchless Riverfront plastic two paper bags simply because they are used to plastic bags and may often forget their reusable bags at home what.
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