intensify ….. become or make more intense. 程度が激しくなる、密度が上がる。

replacement of A with B ….. substitute something new for old one

even more so since ….. even more intensified since

bring about …. cause

acre …. エーカー(単位), or land, or a lot of

arable …. The land optimal for farming

sustain …. make something continue a period of time. Or endure, undergo hardships, pain.

quadruple ….. ×4

staple …. regular, prime 

devote ….. dedicate, concentrate

demand ….. To ask for something, often in a way that shows you don’t expect to be rejected.

destabilize ….. to make organization, government less secure, stable.

modify ….. to change something slightly to improve its quality, functions.

boost …. foster, encourage something

threaten ….. express an intention to harm something.

irrigation ….. 灌漑

extract …. remove or take out something, often to avoid harm or have merits.

otherwise

otherwise ….. expect for what is mentioned, in 

other way

redirect ….. change goals or aims, or from one thing to another to use something for a different purpose.

yield …. To produce or provide (verb). An amount produced of an agricultural or industrial product.

diversion ….. the action of turning something aside from its previous course.

depletion ….. reduction in the number or quantity of something. 枯渇、消耗。

aquifer …… an underground layer of rock that is permeable and therefore holds groundwater.

cover crops ….. a plant grown to cover ground for protecting soil from erosion and improving the ground health. It doesn’t mean to be harvested.

stakeholder ….  Any individual, group or organization that affects or be affected by a business’s actions, objections, or policies. 

 Internal parties are employees, mangers, owners.

 External parties are customers, suppliers, investors, community, government, etc.

decision making ….. 意思決定

drench ….. wet throughly.  ex: drenched in sweat.

oxygen ….. 酸素

accrue ….. to accumulate, increase in value or number.

evaporation ….. the physical process where a liquid turns into gas.

dozens ….. 数十

livestock ….. domesticated animals raised to produce things needed for people to live on, such as meet, wool, leather, and labor.

grazing ….. the process of feeding livestocks by letting them walk on the land filled with grass.

pasture ….. land with grass that livestock can eat.

cattle ….. domesticated cows.

dairy ….. cheese, milk, yogurt, butter, or a building for processing those.

incentivize …. encourage, stimulate, motivate, foster.

subsidy ….. money grated by government or other public bodies to help an industry or business keep the prices low.

counting A and B ….. regarding A and B. Taking A and B as an account.

set aside for ….. reserve something for future needs, or disregard or ignore something.

die off ….. die out, become extinct, be exterminated.

fecal ….. 排泄物の

contaminate …… to make something less pure or make it poisonous. Ex: be contaminated by nuclear waste.

destruction …. The act or destroying something. Not distraction.

of varying kinds ….. diverse array of, various kinds of

mitigate ….. to make something less harmful or unpleasant.

stretches of ….. long, continuous, or extended areas of land, water, or periods of time.

forage (noun) ….. food such as grass or hay for horses and cattle.

stream bed …. The bottom surface of watercourse.

hub ….. the central or main part of something where there is most active.

engage ….. 1. to hire someone   2. to interest someone in something   3. to become involved in

  engage the services of ….. Ex:  we engaged the services of a lawyer. ( 弁護士に業務を委託した。)

  engage someone’s interest ….. Ex: the book engaged my interest in the first page.

  engage with ….. Ex: I tried not to engage with him.

harsh ….. unpleasant, unkind, severe than is required.

offset ….. to balance one’s influence against an opposite component, so that there’s no greater difference.

variable ….. a number, amount, or situation that could change. 変数

fertilizer….. 肥料

following〜 ….. after

explode …. To break up into peaces violently.

gigantic ….. extremely large. Like a giant.

the once + [adjective] + [noun] ….. prior. かつての

convert A into B ….. change A into B dramatically in form or character.

load A with B ….. fill A (person, thing) with B

eutrophication ….. a phenomenon where nutrients accumulate in water, resulting in the growth of organism.

algae ….. 藻類

a body of water ….. 水域

afflict ….. affect someone or something badly, or make it suffer.

nitrous oxide ….. 亜酸化窒素。One of the most effective greenhouse gasses.

no-till farming ….. an agricultural technique for growing crops without disturbing ( moving something else where ) too much of soil.

minimize ….. reduce something to the least level required.

retention ….. the condition or status likely to continue. Or the ability to keep and stop something from going elsewhere.

compel ….. to force someone to do something, often by obligation, duty, rule, or logic. ( “force” is often used to describe situations more related to physical power. )

force someone from place …… compel someone to leave or move from previous place.

refer A as B ….. call A B 

breed …… animals give a birth, or nurture something or someone.

pollinate ….. 受粉する

coalition ….. cooperation often with a limited time. Often used in politic field.

dominant ….. most important, primary things that have the biggest power in group and control situations or circumstances.

marginalize ….. treat something as if it isn’t important.

consolidate …. reinforce, make something stronger. 強化する、合併する。

oyster ….. 牡蠣

a fraction of ….. very little 

intersect ….. 交差する

skyrocket (verb) ….. increase or succeed extremely quickly.

collide ….. hit with a big power. 衝突する。

depend on …… rely on 

aquatic …… 水中の、水性の

organic matter ….. 有機物

in the face of A …… as we face A

Per kilogram, farming oysters emits a fraction of the greenhouse gases that producing beef from cows does.→比較級は使われていないが、比較文。a fraction of は、「〜のほんの一部の」という意味であり、なんの一部なのかはof以降が提示。

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As the population grows, so does the amount of space that we need to feed people. → As A 〜, so〜 B (Aが〜するにつれて、Bも〜だ)。doesはgrowsの代わり。

Irrigation has consequences for the environment. One major consequence is draining water /out of rivers and underground water systems. 最も主要な影響は、水を川や地下水システムから引いてくることだ。

Since the “Industrial Revolution” and the “Green Revolution”, the land devoted to farming has expanded (×intensified←程度が激しくなる時に使う) to feed the global population, which has quadrupled in one century . Our planet has been cultivated so much and half of it are used as arable land, which is for growing crops such as rice, corn or other staple crops. Nowadays , modern agriculture isn’t only affected by climate change but also adds to the environmental destruction. Below are three ways how today’s agricultural threatens nature.

Firstly, let us consider irrigation. Worldwide, irrigation accounts for 70% of human freshwater consumption. This is because this artificial ( ×synthetic←化学合成された) system is necessary to support enormous crop yields by allowing crops to be grown in water-scarce places, like deserts. But irrigation can cause several severe damages to the environment. The most obvious consequence is the depletion of aquifers, resulting in wasting too much water. Although most farmers are not as responsible as the outdated irrigation equipment or how it is installed.

Irrigation can also cause land to become waterlogged. This causes oxygen levels to decline(×declination←天文学で赤緯) and too much salt to accrue, which prevents plant roots from growing properly.

Secondly, let us look livestock grazing. A large number of agricultural territories are used primarily for pasture for cattle. cattle often consume(複数形！) stretches of forage land so extensively that grasses can’t regrow; as a result, they die out. Large grazing animals can even damage soil just by trampling on it, making it compacted. These issues can be solved by adopting rotational grazing.

Thirdly, we can see the effects of chemical fertilizers. The artificial fertilizers that contains nitrogen and phosphorus have contributed greatly tomodern agriculture, increasing the number of people the world’s farmers can feed to about half of the population. However (×Although←一文では使えない) these chemicals can escape from the fields where those are applied, and flow into ( ×fill to much of←容器などを満たす) bodies of water. This process is called eutrophication, which causes toxic algae blooms.

With environmental awareness rapidly increasing, recent years have brought a renewed interest in regenerative agriculture systems: such as no-till farming and planting cover crops. And these sustainable methods have been practiced in indigenous areas, rather than in developed countries.

While environmental damages are required to reform the food system drastically, we can help mitigate the issue by changing our daily actions. For example, we a do this by buying ingredients produced through regenerative agriculture systems and shifting to a plant-based diet.

reference:

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/environmental-impacts-agricultural-modifications