New! Mali's Wetlands drained by Foreign Agribusiness
Mali, located in West Africa, on the edge of the Sahara desert, depends heavily on water. They grow their food, feed their cattle, and catch fish, all with the help of a flowing part of the Niger River. Filled to the brim with about two million people, Mali can't afford to lose their way of life. But someone is trying to take it from them- the water, of course. Recently, their fish catch has been declining and the forests which used to be flooded are dry. Even though some people blame it on lacking rain and climate change, most say it's a foreign agribusiness upstream, diverting the water and pulling it right through Mali's fingers. The agribusiness has many fields to grow rice, which is grown in water, and they have many more fields with irrigation in proposal. Mali will continue to get dryer if this doesn't stop, and their government is paying no attention. This same situation is happening in a lot of different places, for example, the Colorado Delta in Mexico has been dried because of people upstream taking advantage.
This method of "water grabbing" isn't fair to the lifestyle of the inhabitants. Mali's people will have to find a new way to live. They eat off the river, make money off the river, and have fun on the river. If the agribusiness keeps taking their water, we will have 2 million people to house and feed and support. I know they're in West Africa, but still. Their misery and poverty will affect us.
This method of "water grabbing" isn't fair to the lifestyle of the inhabitants. Mali's people will have to find a new way to live. They eat off the river, make money off the river, and have fun on the river. If the agribusiness keeps taking their water, we will have 2 million people to house and feed and support. I know they're in West Africa, but still. Their misery and poverty will affect us.
New! A Dark Cloud and a Silver Lining for the World's Fisheries
Sometimes rules and regulations are a good thing. For instance, fisheries that are regulated turn out to be more successful than the ones that aren't. Speaking of the free fisheries, they are overfishing our oceans and that is not good. We knew they were overfished, but now they are even more so than we thought. The small, free fisheries do not count their entire catch. Therefore, we have no idea how many fish they are taking out of our source. When the bigger more regulated fisheries come through, they have to make sure to only get a certain amount. Of course, there are tons of fish in the sea. But if we keep taking and taking, they won't have time to reproduce.The bigger fisheries have started to decline. But there is something that will help them recover: add to the funds that assess small fisheries so they won't overfish. Once that has been done, the scientists can then set a limit for each territory. Problem solved!
Overfishing is a major issue. If we don't have fish, a food source goes down, but also, an ecosystem is ruined. The poor ocean relies on fish heavily. We can't take them away! The coral will die, the predators will die... the ocean will be empty and there will be nothing for us to catch and eat. The oxygen level in the ocean will decrease to where almost nothing will be able to live there. Stop overfishing!
Overfishing is a major issue. If we don't have fish, a food source goes down, but also, an ecosystem is ruined. The poor ocean relies on fish heavily. We can't take them away! The coral will die, the predators will die... the ocean will be empty and there will be nothing for us to catch and eat. The oxygen level in the ocean will decrease to where almost nothing will be able to live there. Stop overfishing!
Win-Win: How Farmers Benefit from the Drought
As the drought worsens, farmers find it alright. The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) says more than 55 percent of the United States is in moderate to extreme drought. Only 31 percent of the corn sowed is in good condition, according to the USDA. The Midwest, especially Indiana and Illinois, was hit hard by the drought and the land is suffering. It was predicted by experts that 2012 would be a troubling year for agriculture. Corn is at a whopping price of $8.24 a bushel, risen from $5. Even with an average of 96.4 million acres of corn being harvested, the farmers are having a hard time reaping enough bushels to get by. Their usual 180 bushels per acre has been reduced to 146 by this time of year. Because the drought it so bad, most farmers are getting their crops insured, which actually 60 percent of which taxpayers cover. Insurance indemnities are already at $446 million. Without a drought, corn was going for $5 a bushel, making farmers $900 per acre. With the drought and a good insurance plan, corn is at $8 a bushel, making farmers about $1,152 per acre. The government is involved by subsidizing the farmers for their losses. Nevertheless, farmers are pretty content.
I don't agree with the government on subsidizing the farmers, even though they can't help it. Insurance is helping them, so why does the government need to get involved? Taxpayers are just giving their money to these people that should figure it out on their own. These taxpayers might have families of their own to feed at home. But on the science side, it's terrible how much the farmers have to downgrade just because of a lack of rain. The earth really does give, but also takes away.
I don't agree with the government on subsidizing the farmers, even though they can't help it. Insurance is helping them, so why does the government need to get involved? Taxpayers are just giving their money to these people that should figure it out on their own. These taxpayers might have families of their own to feed at home. But on the science side, it's terrible how much the farmers have to downgrade just because of a lack of rain. The earth really does give, but also takes away.
Honeybees: Vital to our Agriculture
About one-third of the United State's produce is pollinated by honeybees. They are very important to the ecosystem. Not only do they aid plants in pollination, but they help humans, in the form of honey, to build natural immunities to local allergies. How does this work? Well, when the bees pollinate plants, that pollen gets stuck to their legs and when they make honey, the pollen gets into the honey. Allergists practice injecting patients with a small amount of the substance that patient is allergic too. This has the same affect, it's just a different kind of injection. But there are not enough wild honeybees to fulfill the demand, and that is where beekeepers come in. They raise the bees and keep them healthy and sustained. Their bravery is pretty amazing, because bees can sting at any time. Although bees do not want to sting, because they know they will die if they do. They only sting when they feel really threatened.
Bees are incredible insects. They work all day long and still only think about work. Oh, and of course their queen. But the fact that they are so vital to our agriculture caught me by surprise. I feel like I knew that in the back of my head, but I hadn't ever really realized it. And I never realized bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of the U.S. That's a lot of work for them to do!
Bees are incredible insects. They work all day long and still only think about work. Oh, and of course their queen. But the fact that they are so vital to our agriculture caught me by surprise. I feel like I knew that in the back of my head, but I hadn't ever really realized it. And I never realized bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of the U.S. That's a lot of work for them to do!
Vocabulary
drought - a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall
subsidize - support financially
indemnity - security or protection a loss or other financial burden
pollination - convey pollen to and so also fertilize
immunity - the ability of an organism to resist a particular infection or toxin
subsidize - support financially
indemnity - security or protection a loss or other financial burden
pollination - convey pollen to and so also fertilize
immunity - the ability of an organism to resist a particular infection or toxin