II. Environmental Impacts of Agriculture

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, participants will be able to:

• Name and describe at least two major environmental problems with links to conventional agriculture
• Describe the negative impacts of tillage on soil
• Define “water infiltration” and explain how a low soil water infiltration rate negatively impacts both agricultural soil and the environment
• Name at least two negative environmental impacts of runoff pollution
• List at least two ways conventional agriculture harms insects, birds, and/or fish
• Describe at least two regenerative grazing practices that decrease negative environmental impacts

Overview

Each section describes an environmental problem, summarizes relevant science, explains how certain agricultural practices led to the problem, and shows how regenerative practices can improve environmental outcomes. The goals of this module are to: raise awareness about how conventional agriculture contributes to environmental degradation; and generate interest in regenerative practices as alternatives.