This report is another reminder of how our agricultural practices in the modern era are only making the rest of the world worse. In the report, fertilizer use has increased by 800% from 1960 to 2000. This high percentage means that we are putting quite a bit more fertilizer than ever before. The nitrogen found in fertilizer has led to an increase in dead zones and changing the nutrient balance. "Humans may have produced the largest impact on the nitrogen cycle since the major pathways of the modern cycle originated some 2.5 billion years ago." The increase in nitrogen from fertilizer can cause a decrease in plant and algae growth. This can also lead to a need to use more fertilizer, a cycle that is hard to stop. Luckily, there are some suggestions for farmers that can help reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers.
- better crop rotation
- better timing to limit amounts of fertilizer
- developing genetically-engineered fertilizer-hoarding crops
- improving wheat, barley, and rye through current breeding
- supplying cereals and other crops with microbes that supply nitrogen
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