How does agriculture limits carrying capacity.?

Question

How does agriculture limits carrying capacity.?

Answer 1

Based on your other questions I assume that you are talking about the carrying capacity in terms of the number people that  live on the available land.  We only have a limited number of acres of land to produce food on and that amount of land available for agriculture is decreasing each year.  Agriculture limits the carrying capacity of the land by the amount of food that can be produced.  In most countries agriculture has been able to keep pace with the increasing demand.  When it can't starvation will be the result.  China has taken drastic actions to head this off by limiting population growth.  I'm not judging this as right or wrong but other countries must face this issue or populations will be controlled naturally by much crueler methods.

Answer 2

I assume you mean "carrying capacity" in the ecological sense, referring to the number of organisms (plants & animals) that can be supported by a given environment. Scientists also are concerned about the number of different species that can be supported in a given environment.

Agriculture introduces domesticated species which often include large numbers of the same variety or breed which is more specific than the species (ie. single varieties of corn planted for 300 acres or a single breed of chicken). Sometimes these species are also highly bred in a way that makes them less fit, requiring the use of many pesticides, antibiotics or other means of increasing health. Domesticated animals also contribute a lot of waste into the environment. In these cases, not only to the domesticated species lower the carrying capacity through there simple existence, but pollution from them degrades the surrounding environment in a way that makes it even more difficult for native plants & animals to survive.

There are more sustainable farms that are trying to farm in a low impact way that leaves natural spaces for plants & animals, rotates plants & animals in a way to reduce impact, reduces pollution of surrounding areas, and takes into considerations the limitations & needs of one's environment.