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CAN THE NEEDS OF THE INDUSTRY AND THE ENVIRONMENT EVER BE BALANCED?
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The needs of both industry and environment may not go hand in hand all the time because of the differing objectives at hand. Since the industrial sector of the economy is constantly expanding and growing they may exert certain powerful influences over the government to satisfy their own needs. These influences can be counteracted by the use of government legislation and environmental protective agencies to create some sought of equity between these two important factors especially since they co-exist in each other; too much harm inflicted on one party consequently affects the other. In the case of the agricultural industry they take measures to support a sustainable amount of agricultural production to satisfy local as well as international demand. There is the widespread practice of commercial arable farming or plantation farming which is cultivation on an extensive scale which are mainly sold to foreign markets as well as peasant farming which is small scale production. Monoculture is evident as the same crops are planted continuously on a piece o land through the process of plantation farming. In the Christina area in Jamaica for example, soil erosion has been caused by continuous over cropping and improper soil management. Landless farmers planted crops such as ginger, yam and other ground provisions without fertilizer application year after year until those areas were diminished resulting in them moving to other plots. The Christina Area Land Authority (CALA) was formed to help farmers cultivate crops on a more scientific basis and to correct the underlying causes of soil erosion. This association helps to upkeep the balance between the agriculture industry and the environment especially since programmes were implemented and offered to teach these farmers how to curb this problem of soil degradation. Farmers were leased idle larger hectares of state land and were advised on crop cultivation techniques such as crop rotation to reduce the risk of over cropping. Through ploughing and fallowing, pore spaces are created by ploughing which involves farmers’ aim to produce a good soil structure for planting. After cultivation, the fine crumbled soil is left exposed to wind and water therefore inducing soil erosion.
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