Deforestation is currently one of the primary global challenges for human civilisation. Often, deforestation implies substantial tree removal, leaving the earth exposed and subject to lower quality. The current pace of practice is high, and it has captured the world's interest. The practice has occurred both purposefully and unintentionally. Deforestation has numerous repercussions on life, including the destruction of habitat for diverse animal species, climate change, and the loss of a way to absorb greenhouse gases, to name a few. As a result, global efforts to combat the vice must be stepped up.
This study is on deforestation in Silicon Valley. The report concentrates on establishing how the tech companies that are based in South America have tried to aid the current deforestation state of the Amazon in Brazil, both through finances and other ways. The essay starts by presenting a detailed overview of the present situation of the deforestation in the region. It also establishes the means through which the practice has affected the region. Further, the paper discusses the regional interplay practices of the tech companies within the areas and their efforts towards the situation. Additionally, the report gives recommendations on the case, focusing on the application of the Israeli’s farming techniques. Therefore, the paper is critical in helping to reveal the current state of deforestation in South America.
Deforestation in South America
The Amazon rainforest covers a large area on the globe and extends most places in South America. The forest stretches from Brazil to Venezuela up to Columbia. It encompasses the parts of Ecuador and the Peru region. Different lives in Brazil and other parts of the world rely on the forest. It also forms one of the most significant factors that influence the climate conditions of South America and many other sectors of the world. Besides, the forest is also well known for the provision of the medicinal substances. Therefore, deforestation of the Amazon forest in the forms one of the major concerns on the globe.
The current Amazon's rate of deforestation is alarming; the trees are cut down both intentionally and unintentionally. The practice is happening by both individuals and governments. Many acres of land have been left open after cutting down the trees in the forest. The vice has created many impacts that have affected the life in South America and even the entire world. The effects are a severe and present danger to human, animals and the also the plants.
The Brazilian government has had a significant impact on the deforestation of the Amazon. In the early years of about 1970s, the Brazilian government decided to build a roadway in the Amazon forest as an approach to integrate civilization. The nation created over 9000 miles of the road of the forest. The project entailed massive cut down of many trees as a way to pave the way for the project. Besides, the construction of the roadway had provided easy access to the citizens to the forest. Many families could quickly reach the trees and cut them down. An enclosed forest that has little path or roadways is critical in creating the inconvenience of the civilians to access and cut the trees down. Therefore, the decisions of the Brazilian government had negative impacts on the forest both directly and indirectly.
How Cattle Ranching and Soy farming has contributed to Deforestation in the Silicon Valley
The farmers have mostly conducted the efforts of deforestation of the Amazon forest in Brazil. They have been driven by their desire to get more land to carry out their farming activities. Usually, the Brazilian farmers practice animal ranching and Soy plantation farming. They want to pave ground to facilitate these farming practices has increased the pressure of deforestation in Brazil. The ranching practice has been ongoing since the 1970s. Also, the cravings for more land has been promoted by the country’s plans to expand its cattle industry, an aspect that has motivated and encouraged the farmers to dive into cattle ranching.
Cattle ranching has formed one of the most significant bases of deforestation in Brazil. Lately, the nation has been a leader in the cattle industry and has even risen to be a global leader in the production of the commercial cattle herd. Besides, the nation has topped in the world largest beef export. Therefore, cattle ranching forms one of the critical economic activities among the citizens of Brazil. Due to its weight among the citizens of Brazil, it has made them focus more on the ways to increase the farming practice. In so doing, they have gone ahead to invade the Amazon forest as an approach to find resources to improve cattle ranching, a fact that has significantly contributed to the increase in deforestation in South America.
Additionally, Brazil has also majored in the planting of Soy crop. The country has over 25 million hectares of land that is under the soy plantation, making it to the second largest producer of Soy on the globe. The climate of South America highly favors the growth allowing it to perform well in the region. Therefore, the high soy yields that farmers realize makes them motivated to seek extra land to plant the crop. The high desire to get the best from soy crop has made the people in South America to invade the Amazon forest.
Soy is one of the major animal feed in Brazil, providing rich nutrients to their livestock. The crop is preferred because of its high contribution towards better yields from husbandry. People in South America have been observed to clear the Amazon rainforest with the intentions to increase the soy plantation as the way to provide fodder to the livestock reared in the region. Therefore, the inter-link between the livestock rearing and the planting of Soy have created a negative impact on the growth of the Amazon forest.
The deforestation level of the Amazon forest in the Silicon Valley is now alarming. The government is making a lot of efforts to reduce the rate of deforestation that is taking place in the region. However, it is difficult to realize the best results from the strategies employed because of its vision to expand the cattle rearing industry. The invasion of the Amazon in South America has mostly been attributed to the desire to the desire to promote livestock by the farmers. Therefore, the efforts to curb the practice are always opposed by the desire to expand the cattle rearing farming. Thus, it is clear that deforestation in South America has been caused by the increase in cattle ranching, which has, in turn, increased the demand for soy crop.
How Companies are affecting the Silicon Region
The silicon region forms one of the major hubs of the technology companies and startups in the world. The area is the home of the world largest technology innovators and manufacturing companies around the globe. Some of these technological organizations include Apple, HP, Cisco, Google and Oracle among many others. The region forms a high technology area of business on the entire globe. The ever-rising deforestation concerns in the region have trapped the attention of these companies and startups operating in the area. At the moment, these organizations are making a lot of efforts to help overcome the problems that the prevailing deforestation challenges.
The Silicon Valley companies are making efforts to support the anti-deforestation efforts. The organizations have come up with a joint guideline called the zero deforestation policies. They define the rules and expectations that all the Silicon Valley business players are expected to follow as efforts towards eliminating deforestation. With the policies, the Silicon Valley companies are expected to only engage in activities that reduce the practice. The direction taken by these companies influence the practice in the South America region.
Some of the zero deforestation policies expected to be practiced by the players in the Silicon Valley include advocating, and usage of non-timber products, their reduction of timber usage reduces the pressure fostered on the Amazon forest. Besides, the organizations are to support the efforts to stop deforestation with the technology such internet provision, hardware and software services among many others. Also, they are participating in joint tries to come up with the innovation activities that reduce the deforestation activities. Additionally, the policies advocate for tree planting and other green ideas. These aspects among many others have helped to define the guidelines that help overcome the deforestation activities. Therefore, the policies have played a significant role towards providing standards and guidelines for adoption among the companies towards conserving the Amazon rainforest.
Also, the financial support towards the anti-deforestation efforts forms one another notable attempt by the Silicon Valley business players. All the implementations towards overcoming the cutting down of the Amazon in South America requires finances for facilitation. The application of technologies and other activities as strategies to reduce deforestation are cost intensive. The Silicon Valley business players have taken up the role of sponsorship towards these events by providing all the funds required to facilitate them. Therefore, the tech companies have played a significant role towards reducing deforestation in South America.
Besides, Google, Amazon, Apple, Lyft and the Spotify Company among many other organizations in the Silicon Valley have come together to advocate the adoption of the greener practices that help reduce the greenhouse effect South America. The companies have teamed to influence other players within and outside the region to embrace the zero deforestation policies. They have implemented the course by partnering with the primary states and the regional regulators as an approach to achieve the mission. The companies have also conducted campaigns in the public domain to influence and win the public participation towards attaining the conservation of the Amazon rainforest. Therefore, the efforts of partnership and campaigns to influence other organizations and the public has yielded more to attain the environmental protection.
Additionally, through the support of the tech companies in the Silicon Valley, the Brazilian government has managed to incorporate the satellite monitoring system as a way to provide the security in the forest poachers. The approach has helped to save over 60,000 square km of the Amazon forest in the five years. The tech companies have supported the initiative with the internet, the hardware and the required software services. Google provided the Global Positioning System which was applied to implement the security system as n approach to conserve the forest. Therefore, it is clear that the tech companies in the Silicon Valley have played a critical role in the establishment and the conservation of the Amazon rainforest.
How the Farming Techniques of Israel can be applied in South America for a better land Utilization
One of the best activities that can be used as the solution to reduce the deforestation of the Amazon in South America is through the adoption of better farming skills. Israeli has been on the frontline in applying the improved farming techniques. Israel has managed to transform the desert into a valuable area that is agriculturally productive. The nation has adopted techniques that save the environment and are also highly profitable. Its approaches can be copied by other countries to improve their farming system, increasing efficiency and conserving the environment and even as a way to yield more and also realize more profits from farming.
Firstly, just as Israeli, the South American nations should invest more in the agricultural research and development (R and D). Israeli has dedicated a lot of resources to establishing new knowledge and improving the existing techniques in farming. When a nation chooses to conduct research and development, it presents an excellent opportunity for the bright minds to unveil the most suitable farming system that the nation can use to yield more from farming. Application of the technology and science linked R and D make it easy for the country to discover better and improved ways of doing farming. Technology connected farming makes it possible to realize optimal farming practices that yield more from a small piece of land. Strategies that help the Brazilian farmers get better returns from a smaller piece of Soy plantations will reduce their demand to expand the land, a factor that has made them invade the forest.
Besides, the nations in the region should adopt alternative fodder sources for their livestock. Farmers should find a better option that provides nutrients to the animals other than the traditional Soy. The crop forms the primary source of fodder for the livestock in Brazil and the entire Silicon Valley. Optional nutrients sources for the animals are likely to save the hundreds of acres of the Amazon forest that are consumed for the purpose of expanding the land for the Soy plantations. The nation can also be considering working on the Therefore, improving the livestock rearing and feeding methods are likely to directly save the large tracts of land confiscated every year for Soy planting.
Also, with R and D like in Israel, South America should consider designing ways for improved cattle farming methods. The traditional ranching systems applied in the Silicon Valley can be improved to ensure that they adopt optimal strategies for betterment. The approach will help come up with strategies that will ensure that the farmers realize more from cattle rearing yet with minimal resources used. There is need to redesign livestock rearing approaches and ensure that the practice uses the smallest piece land possible. Such strategies will reduce the amount of land required to conduct farming an aspect that will ease the pressure imposed on the Amazon forest.
The livestock rearing improved techniques that are applied in Israel should also be adopted in the Silicon Valley. Israel considers the livestock variety that has desirable characteristics such as high-yielding and disease resistance, by using better selection approaches. They have also integrated the electronic production and genetic monitoring system for the artificial insemination, and also the nutrient needs determination system for the animals. However, one of the major technical aspects that South America can incorporate in its farming is the adoption of better feeding system that determines the nutrients required per animal. The approach is likely to realize better results because it will help overcome challenges of fodder, an aspect that has a direct influence on the deforestation of the Amazon forest.
Conclusion
In conclusion, deforestation forms one of the major challenges facing the world today. The man's activities have led to cutting down on the trees, a factor that has created many negative impacts such global warming among many others. The Silicon Valley forms the noticeable regions that have felt the effect of deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. The major causes of the vice are attributed to the current economic activities of the region. People are cutting down trees to create the ground for cattle ranching activities and also as a way to create space for practicing soy plantations. The tech companies operating in the Silicon Valley have taken the initiative to come up with strategies that help attain zero deforestation of the Amazon. They are working towards reducing deforestation as much as possible. However, the effects improved agricultural practices can be applied as an approach to curb deforestation. The Israel’s agrarian techniques have proofed to be effective for many that have implemented it. Therefore, the improved farming techniques will save the invasion of the Amazon rainforest by a great deal.
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