<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What can be very frustrating for a\nfarmer, is when you have worked very hard in the hot sun and rain to get your\ncrops in the ground, and within a couple of days or weeks, they are all covered\nin \u201cweeds\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weeds are wild plants growing where\nit is not wanted and competing with cultivated plants. Weeds compete with crops\nfor nutrients, space, and light, thus lowering production. They also harbour\npests that attack plants and also they lower the quality of your produce, hence\nthe reason why herbicides are very popular among farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Herbicides destroy weeds very fast,\nwhich is very beneficial to the farmer, but on the other hand, they affect the\nenvironment and human health. According to a CNN news article on February 15th<\/sup>\n2019, the article states that \u201cglyphosate\u201d, an ingredient found in the\nherbicide \u201cround up\u201d, increases the cancer risk of non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL),\na cancer of the immune system by 41 percent. In 2018, in the USA traces of\nglyphosate was found in two dozen popular general mills and Quaker breakfast\ncereals and snack bars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Caribbean, gramoxone is a popular\nherbicide used among farmers. Farmers who use gramoxone, and might have a cut\nor wound, if their body is not properly covered while spraying, the gramoxone\ncan enter through that cut and cause poisoning. Poisoning from gramoxone can\nalso occur if fruits and vegetables are not washed properly that might contain\ntraces of \u201cgramoxone\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Inhaling a toxic amount of gramoxone\ncan cause swelling and pain in the mouth and throat. Herbicides can kill\npollinating insects such as bees and butterflies which are crucial for food\nsecurity. Herbicides can be washed away very easily into streams, which can\nkill fishes and other marine animals and can even seep into ground water. They\ncan also kill micro organisms in the soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some solutions for weed control:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organic\nagriculture occupies only one percent of global agricultural land. Farmers and persons\nwho are involved in back yard gardening should use less herbicides, pesticides,\nsynthetic fertilizers, insecticides, and try to grow more organic crops , which\nwould enable us to protect the environment, and for all of us to live much\nhealthier and longer lives.\n\n\n\n\n\n{if(r.res<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What can be very frustrating for a farmer, is when you have worked very hard in the hot sun and rain to get your crops in the ground, and within a couple of days or weeks, they are all covered in \u201cweeds\u201d. Weeds are wild plants growing where it is not wanted and competing with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n