--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Agriculture is the #1 source of…" description: "\"Agriculture is the #1 source of deforestation. By some estimates it accounts for 80% of the forests chopped down in the tropics.\" — Ramez Naam" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/ramez-naam-5111_accounts_agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforesta_2331888.jpg" --- # Agriculture is the #1 source of deforestation. By some… ![“Agriculture is the #1 source of deforestation. By some estimates it accounts for 80% of the forests chopped down in the tropics.” quote by Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/ramez-naam-5111_accounts_agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforesta_2331888.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/ramez-naam-5111_accounts_agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforesta_2331888.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/ramez-naam-5111_accounts_agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforesta_2331888.jpg) > “Agriculture is the #1 source of deforestation. By some estimates it accounts for 80% of the forests chopped down in the tropics.” [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Large-scale agriculture is the leading driver of tropical deforestation, causing massive habitat loss. **In simple terms:** Agriculture heavily contributes to forest loss in the tropics. Key Takeaway Seek sustainable farming practices to protect forests. Themes environment agriculture deforestation climate change Mood concerned urgent Type activist informative When to use this quote - farm management - government regulation - consumer choices - reforestation projects Key Concepts sustainable agriculture land use policy ecosystem services Questions to Reflect On - What incentives can shift farms toward sustainability? - How can consumers influence deforestation? A Different Perspective Economic pressures often prioritize short-term yields over long-term ecological health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Agriculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/) [Agriculture Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture-source-3320846/) [Deforestation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deforestation/) [Deforestation Estimates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deforestation-estimates-5611934/) [Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests/) [Forests Chopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests-chopped-5459493/) [Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source/) [Source Deforestation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source-deforestation-5611933/) [Tropics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tropics/) ## Related quotes > [ \[W\]hat have we done with our forests? Chopped them, and burned them, and wasted them; and now almost the last of the great stands… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-grant/w-hat-have-we-done-with-our-forests-chopped-them-and-burned-them-and/) [Madison Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-grant/) > [“Agriculture is the source of civilization, and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ballantyne/agriculture-is-the-source-of-civilization-and/) [Sarah Ballantyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ballantyne/) > [It had always been a notion of mine that sanity is like a clearing in the jungle where the humans agree to meet from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-had-always-been-a-notion-of-mine-that-sanity-is-like-a-clearing-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[On Malaysia:\] Mr. Darwin says so truly that a visit to the tropics (and such tropics) is like a visit to a new planet.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-bird/on-malaysia-mr-darwin-says-so-truly-that-a-visit-to-the-tropics-and/) [Isabella Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-bird/) > [“You who sacrifice fortunes to see the luxuriance of the tropics or the polar lights of the arctic, must pay more dearly to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolaj-velimirovic/you-who-sacrifice-fortunes-to-see-the-luxuriance-of-the-tropics-or/) [Nikolaj Velimirović](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolaj-velimirovic/) > [Children, as well as grown-ups, in their individual, glorified, drudgery-proof homes of Labrador, the tropics, the Orient, or where you will, to which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/children-as-well-as-grown-ups-in-their-individual-glorified-drudgery/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [Sex and beauty are inseparable, like life and consciousness. And the intelligence which goes with sex and beauty, and arises out of sex and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/sex-and-beauty-are-inseparable-like-life-and-consciousness-and-the/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Let a man be firmly principled in his religion, he may travel from the tropics to the poles, it will never catch cold on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morley-punshon/let-a-man-be-firmly-principled-in-his-religion-he-may-travel-from-the/) [William Morley Punshon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morley-punshon/) > [These European White Men, then, with civilization in their blood and in their destiny, crossed the Atlantic and set up a new civilization on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-klassen/these-european-white-men-then-with-civilization-in-their-blood-and-in/) [Ben Klassen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-klassen/) > [If you go from the USA - which, relative to the rest of the world, is in pretty good shape in terms of biodiversity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/if-you-go-from-the-usa-which-relative-to-the-rest-of-the-world-is-in/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Forests in the tropics are cut to make pasture to raise beef for the American market. Our distance from the source of our food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/forests-in-the-tropics-are-cut-to-make-pasture-to-raise-beef-for-the/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [In the tropics the white feels weakened, or downright weak, whence comes the heightened tendency to outbursts of aggression. People who are polite, modest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/in-the-tropics-the-white-feels-weakened-or-downright-weak-whence/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [“This is a story that could only have taken place in the tropics, where the climate draws sea rovers, pirates, and desperadoes from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cezair-thompson/this-is-a-story-that-could-only-have-taken-place-in-the-tropics-where/) [Margaret Cezair-Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cezair-thompson/) > [Coal is a portable climate. It carries the heat of the tropics to Labrador and the polar circle; and it is the means of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-is-a-portable-climate-it-carries-the-heat-of-the-tropics-to/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The West Indian is not exactly hostile to change, but he is not much inclined to believe in it. This comes from a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-wouk/the-west-indian-is-not-exactly-hostile-to-change-but-he-is-not-much/) [Herman Wouk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-wouk/) ## More by Ramez Naam > [In the end, our minds and their ability to create new ideas are the ultimate source of all human wealth. That's a resource nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/in-the-end-our-minds-and-their-ability-to-create-new-ideas-are-the/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [We're fortunate enough to live on a planet that's bathed in thousands of times more energy than we use and that's stocked with thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-re-fortunate-enough-to-live-on-a-planet-that-s-bathed-in-thousands/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Technology is vital. We have to have development in new technology if we're going to solve these environmental problems without throwing humanity back in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/technology-is-vital-we-have-to-have-development-in-new-technology-if/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [We have to slow down the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from coal burning, oil and eventually natural gas... And the best ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-have-to-slow-down-the-emissions-of-carbon-dioxide-and-methane-from/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [I'm a geek through and through. My last job at Microsoft was leading much of the search engine relevance work on Bing. There we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/i-m-a-geek-through-and-through-my-last-job-at-microsoft-was-leading/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Technology is incredibly powerful. And in many ways, the sky is the limit in terms of what you can actually accomplish with the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/technology-is-incredibly-powerful-and-in-many-ways-the-sky-is-the/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [On almost every environmental issue I care about, in fact, I've been wrong at one point or another. I used to think that climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/on-almost-every-environmental-issue-i-care-about-in-fact-i-ve-been/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [The accumulated knowledge of materials, computing, electromagnetism, product design, and all the rest that we've learned over the last several centuries converts a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/the-accumulated-knowledge-of-materials-computing-electromagnetism/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [In the end, I expect we'll have AI that is better than we are at nearly every narrow task but which are still our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/in-the-end-i-expect-we-ll-have-ai-that-is-better-than-we-are-at/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [If we fix our economic system and invest in the human capital of the poor, then we should welcome every new person born as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/if-we-fix-our-economic-system-and-invest-in-the-human-capital-of-the/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [We have climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from human power and transportation infrastructure. At the same time, we have 2 billion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-have-climate-change-caused-by-greenhouse-gas-emissions-mostly-from/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Many of the most science-fictional tools to fight climate change are untested, are almost impossible to truly test at planetary scale - we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/many-of-the-most-science-fictional-tools-to-fight-climate-change-are/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [If the incentives are aligned right - towards better preservation and restoration of nature and natural resources - then you'll see a tremendous amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/if-the-incentives-are-aligned-right-towards-better-preservation-and/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [I've read science fiction my whole life. I never really dreamed that I'd be a published science fiction writer myself, but a short story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/i-ve-read-science-fiction-my-whole-life-i-never-really-dreamed-that-i/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [“We think of ourselves as individuals, but all that we have accomplished, and all that we will accomplish, is the result of groups of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-think-of-ourselves-as-individuals-but-all-that-we-have/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) [Explore all 103 Ramez Naam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) [Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Agriculture is the #1 source of deforestation. By some estimates it accounts for 80% of the forests chopped down in the tropics.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ramez Naam" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforestation-by-some-estimates-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accounts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforestation-by-some-estimates-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/ramez-naam-5111_accounts_agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforesta_2331888.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/ramez-naam-5111_accounts_agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforesta_2331888.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/ramez-naam-5111_accounts_agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforesta_2331888.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Agriculture is the #1 source of deforestation. By some estimates it accounts for 80% of the forests chopped…” — Ramez Naam", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ramez Naam", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Agriculture is the #1 source of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforestation-by-some-estimates-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/agriculture-is-the-1-source-of-deforestation-by-some-estimates-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```