Dairy industry

DAIRY INDUSTRY
Milk production takes place all around the world. Global demand for dairy continues to increase in large part due to population growth, rising incomes, urbanization and westernization of diets in countries such as China and India. With this increasing demand for dairy, there is growing pressure on natural resources, including freshwater and soil. WWF works with dairy farmers, industry groups, and other stakeholders in various countries to conserve and protect natural resources and habitat.
Millions of farmers worldwide tend approximately 270 million dairy cows to produce milk. Milk production impacts the environment in various ways, and the scale of these impacts depends on the practices of the dairy farmers and feed growers.
Dairy cows and their manure produce greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change. Poor handling of manure and fertilizers can degrade local water resources. And unsustainable dairy farming and feed production can lead to the loss of ecologically important areas, such as prairies, wetlands, and forests.
WWF envisions a global marketplace in which all dairy is produced as sustainably as possible. By working to engage dairy farmers, co-ops, companies and others in promoting the use of sustainable practices, WWF aims to transform the milk production industry.




DAIRY INDUSTRY
The production of milk on dairy farms and the processing of milk and milk products at dairy plants make up the dairy industry. Along with producing many kinds of milk, the industry makes butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream.
Dairying produces food products that form a regular part of many people’s diets, and in many parts of the world it is a big business and major employer. Among the leading milk producers are India, the United States, the European Union, Russia, Pakistan, Brazil, China, Ukraine, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and Mexico. Most of the milk used for human consumption worldwide comes from cows, but in some areas milk and dairy products are produced from buffalo, goats, sheep, camels, or reindeer. In the early 21st century, the world’s dairy plants produced some 650 million tons of milk each year, more than 80 percent of which was cow’s milk. In the United States the dairy industry produced about 80 million tons of cow’s milk annually.
Without proper handling and storage, milk spoils easily and can potentially transmit diseases. Normally, dairy farms and plants are regulated by government sanitation laws to ensure that their products meet basic quality and safety standards.



SEED AND FRUITS
Seeds develop from ovules in the ovary, and at maturity consist of an embryo and a reserve food supply surrounded by a protective covering, the seed coat. The diversity of flowering plants assures diversity among their seeds, but, unlike fruits, which have numerous variations, structural plans for seeds are few. The reserve food can be stored either in or out of the embryo and the cotyledon(s)—the seed leaves—can remain either below ground or be elevated above the surface when germination occurs.
Fruits are ripened ovaries containing seeds with sometimes additional flower or inflorescence tissues associated with them. Only angiosperms produce flowers and fruits. From a botanical viewpoint, many of the foods we eat as vegetables are fruits, e.g. tomatoes, green beans, squash, eggplant, and peppers. Fruits apparently arose as a means not only of protecting the seeds, but as a way to ensure their dispersal.

ECOLOGY
Ecology is the study of organisms and how they interact with the environment around them. An ecologist studies the relationship between living things and their habitats. In order to learn about the natural world, ecologists must study multiple aspects of life ranging from the moss that grows on rocks to the wolf population in the United States' Yellowstone National Park. In order to research the environment, scientists ask questions, such as: How do organisms interact with the living and nonliving factors around them? What do organisms need to survive and thrive in their current environments? To find the answers to these questions, ecologists must study and observe all forms of life and their ecosystems throughout our world.
In addition to examining how ecosystems function, ecologists study what happens when ecosystems do not function normally. Changes in ecosystems can result from many different factors including diseases among the organisms living in the area, increases in temperature, and increased human activities.




ECOLOGY
Ecology first began gaining popularity in the 1960s, when environmental issues were rising to the forefront of public awareness. Although scientists have been studying the natural world for centuries, ecology in the modern sense has only been around since the 19th century. Around this time, European and American scientists began studying how plants functioned and their effects on the habitats around them. Eventually, this led to the study of how animals interact with plants, other animals, and shaped the ecosystems in which they lived. Today, modern ecologists build on the data collected by their predecessors and continue to pass on information about the ecosystems around the world. The information they gather continues to affect the future of our planet.


FOREST ECOLOLOGY
The Forest Ecology Laboratory studies the structure, growth and function of forest ecosystems. We are especially interested in the canopies of deciduous forests.
We study the organization of forest above-ground components, the exchange of energy and material between the canopy and the atmosphere, and the physical environments within the forest. We hypothesize that the structure of the canopy influences the way forests work - our research aims to clarify the rules relating canopy structure and function.
Most of our research is centered in a tall, mixed species forest on the SERC property, where we also concentrate on long-term demographic characteristics of forest trees. We study these relations in other forests as well, including different developmental stages of the core forest type, and forests in other climates. With the understanding gained from these studies we hope to make general predictions about how forests change, control microclimate and water balance, accumulate carbon dioxide, and provide habitat for organisms.



SHEEP INDUSTRY
Sheep farming plays a significant role for the maintenance of human population in less favoured areas, mostly due to economic activities directly related to the production of meat or milk and to their support for the local economy.
Sheep farming is also crucial for the provision of key ecosystem services for society: fixing carbon in the soil, nutrient cycling for crop production, etc. Sheep are also involved in the conservation of biodiversity and the prevention of forest fires through low intensity grazing practices and shrub clearing in forest areas. Thus, the presence of sheep contributes to the image of these landscapes and responds to the challenges of food production and agroecology (sustainable economic activity, occupation of landscapes, and respect for the environment).





SHEEP INDUSTRY
The future of the sheep farming industry, in Europe and other associated countries, will be heavily influenced by its capacity to respond to several challenges: economics, such as low profitability; environmental changes, in part due to climate change; and new societal expectations.
To address these challenges, animal health and nutrition management are key levers which can be used by farmers:
By making the system more robust, good health and nutrition management are key factors to improve farm resilience and help address future climate change concerns.



APICULTURE
“Apiculture is the scientific method of rearing honeybees. “
The word ‘apiculture’ comes from the Latin word ‘apis’ meaning bee. So, apiculture or beekeeping is the care and management of honey bees for the production of honey and wax. In this method, bees are bred commercially in apiaries, an area where a lot of beehives can be placed. Usually, apiaries are set up in areas where there are sufficient bee pastures – such as areas that have flowering plants.
Products obtained
Bees are mainly reared for their honey. Besides that, we also obtain beeswax through beekeeping. Bees produce honey from the sugary secretions of plants. Although honey is an important ingredient in many food dishes, beeswax holds a lot of commercial significance too. It is used in the cosmetic and medical industry, as well as a coating for cheese, and as a food additive. It is also used as the main component for making candles, preparing polishes for the shoe, furniture, etc.



DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
When there is an undesirable change in the surrounding that has harmful effects on plants and animals, it leads to environmental pollution. A pollutant is a substance that causes pollution. We can have pollutants in liquid, solid or gaseous forms. A substance becomes a pollutant when its concentration is greater than the natural abundance and this increase in concentration is either due to human activities or natural phenomena. There are pollutants which can be degraded and rapidly broken down by natural processes similar to the degradation of vegetables. We also have pollutants which take decades to degrade, once released cannot be easily removed. For example, DDT, plastic materials, heavy metals and nuclear waste. Pollutants are classified as notable pollutants, fund pollutants, and light pollutants. The concentration of pollutants is measured to determine risk assessment in public health.