Cause One

Agricultural Farming

The Amazon is a large tropical rainforest occupying the basin

of the Amazon River and its streams in northern South
America. It covers an area of 6 million square km and
comprises around 40% of Brazil’s total land mass.
Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest represents a critical
issue in our modern world. The Amazon’s deforestation has
been a great issue plaguing the region for decades. Some of
the main contributing factors include cattle ranching, and
agricultural farming.
One of the leading causes of deforestation is the expansion of
agricultural land. It accounts for more than 70% of its rates.
Agricultural practices, such as clearing vast areas of forest for
farming, logging, and fuelwood use, are primary activities that
contribute to the problem significantly.
Commercial agriculture, on the other hand, involves clearing
vast areas of forest to make way for large-scale production of
cash crops. The top agricultural products responsible include
palm oil, beef, and logging for timber. Soybean cultivation is
another major driver of deforestation in Brazil where large
areas of tropical rainforests are cleared to make way for soy
plantations.
Cattle ranching is one of the main culprits of deforestation in
the Amazon Rainforest. As beef demand increases, farmers
clear more land for grazing. This practice has led to the
destruction of millions of hectares of tropical rainforests in the
region.
Because of its deforestation, the Amazon battles with
significant losses of local species, natural habitats, and the
increase of CO2 emissions. Many practices have been used to
combat the issue, including increased monitoring of
deforestation levels, expanding land rights, land policy
reforms, and anti-deforestation legislations.