The Impact of Agriculture on the Environment Cont

The use of chemicals can make farming a threat to the environment. Fertilizers, slurry and
pesticides all contribute to the pollution of the environmental system.
Fertilizer in the form of mineral compounds, which contain elements of plant growth, is
widely used to produce a healthy crop and increase yields. If too much nitrogenous fertilizer or
animal waste is added to the soil, some remains unabsorbed by the plants and may be leached out
by rain fall to contaminate underground water supplies and rivers. Where chemical fertilizers
accumulate in lakes and rivers, the water becomes enriched with nutrients (eutrophication) and
the ecosystem is upset.
Slurry (animal waste) and or fertilizer run-off from farms

Enriched nutrient content in rivers and lakes (eutrophication) Decomposition adds

more nutrients to system
and removes more
oxygen.
Algae and other autotrophs multiply

Algae and autotrophs use up oxygen and begin to die off

Aerobic decomposers (bacteria) multiply and use up even more oxygen

Aerobic organisms (fish) die due to lack of oxygen

Pesticides are substances used to control organisms considered harmful to agriculture or

horticulture, or organisms involved in disease transmission. These are like biocides (chemicals
design to kill organisms). Most pesticides act by interfering with fundamental biochemical and
physiological processes common to a wide range of organisms, including humans. As a
consequence, pesticides are economic necessities but are also serious threats to biodiversity and
are also potentially serious pollutants.
Pesticides are classified according to the group of organisms they are designed to control, such as
insects (insecticides), plants (herbicides), fungi (fungicides) and molluscs (mulluscicides).
Today, the excessive use of pesticides, both to humans and to the environment.
A resolution in pesticides began in 1939 with the recognition of DDT, an organo-chlorine as a
powerful insecticide. DDT acts on the nerves of insects, causing rapid death. Between the years
1939 and 1945, DDT was used particularly for the control of Malaria, by killing mosquitos. DDT
does not break down easily and stays lethal for years. Scientists started to discover organo-
chlorine insecticides in other animals in the food chain. The problem arose because organo-
chlorine insecticides fat-soluble and accumulate in fatty tissue. They migrate to animals at the
top of the food chain. They are found to be extremely toxic to many animals at high dosages and
were also found to interfere with the fertility of many animals. Workers who have to apply
pesticides may be at a particular risk; additionally, the public at large is at risk for residues in
food resulting from excessive use of pesticides.
Longterm consequences of pesticides uses:
 Spraying to eliminate pests, such as aphids on wheat may also kill the predators that
control other pests, or the bees that pollinate fruit trees.
 As pesticides may kill the natural enemies of the pest species more effectively than they
kill the pest, then the pest, once it is re-established, may become more of a problem in the
absence of its natural predators and parasites.
 Pest population may become resistant to pesticides. Repeated low doses of pesticides kill
susceptible individuals but leave a few resistant organisms unharmed. It is from these
resistant form that a new population is established.
 Residues of the pesticides may accumulate in humans and other animals and be harmful
to them. Pesticides have been shown to accumulate in wildlife, causing many deaths.
Herbicides causes reduction of weeds on roadside and railways which reduces the population of
wild flowers and the insects that depend on them.
Environmental concerns related to Genetic engineering
Possible problem from genetic engineering include:
 A gene added to a genome may function in an unforeseen manner, perhaps triggering a
longterm problem such as cancer.
 A gene introduced for resistance to could get transferred from a crop plant or farm
animal into a weed species or into predators.
 A gene from a harmful pathogen could be inserted into a harmless organism, such as
human gut bacteria E.coli, then can escape into a population at large. Such a situation
could have serious problem on the environment.
The cultivating of crops and rearing of animals needs a vast amount of land. This amount of land
can only be obtained by the clearing of land. This then results in deforestation. Impact of
deforestation include:
  Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as part of their natural growth
processes. The clearing of the trees causes the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere to increase.
 Erosion of valuable top soil
 Increased sediment load on rivers which results in flooding
 Habitat loss
 Denuded landscape
 Landslips
 Disruption of water cycle.
Aquaculture pollution through eutrophication is an unfortunate side effect of a rapidly growing
and under-regulated industry. The emissions of marine animal waste from aquaculture facilities
into the ecosystem will not only affect other fish, but will also result in nutrient pollution. For
example, one of the most harmful aquaculture systems is open net-cage farming, which often
takes place on the coasts of large bodies of water. It involves the use of large mesh fishing nets to
hold the farmed fish, and there is no way to prevent waste from escaping into the water. This
waste can contain antibiotics, pesticides and fish feces which pollutes the open water and makes
it unsafe for human drinking, recreational use, and for other wildlife. Another negative impact
aquaculture has on the environment is through discharge. Just like any other animal production
system, aquaculture generates waste throughout the process. Aquaculture waste can be separated
into solid and dissolved waste, specifically carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous (Amirkolaie,
2011). Solid waste is derived from uneaten and/or spilled feed and from fish feces. Dissolved
waste comes mostly from metabolites excreted by the fish (Amirkolaie, 2011). These two types
of pollutants grow within a location and eventually will reduce the water quality of that
particular system, while also leading to an influx of disease-carrying fish.

The negative environmental impacts aquaculture has had are nuanced.

Nutrient buildup happens when there is a high density of fish in one area. Fish
produce waste, and their waste has the potential to build up in the
surrounding area. This can deplete the water of oxygen, creating algal blooms
and dead zones. Farmers’ usage of antibiotics to prevent disease created
concern about the effect of the drugs on the ecosystem around the cages,
including wild fish. Many also worried that the escape of nonnative fish would
cause wild fish to compete for food, potentially displacing the native fish.
Impact of Mariculture on the Environment
Disease outbreaks occur rarely in wild fish populations since they are scattered all over the
oceans and seas, whereas high population density in aquaculture systems often leads to disease
outbreaks. Accumulation of uneaten feed, faeces, chemicals and antibiotics causes formation of
anoxic zone on sea floor thus, most of the benthic organisms that live near to the salmon farms
dissappeared, only some of the resistant bacteria proliferated. In many countries, formation of
antibiotic resistance in poultry, cattle and aquaculture borne bacteria threats human health.
Antibiotics used against bacterial fish disease outbreaks are generally excreted to the water
column. These antibiotics accumulate on sediment or animals living in surrounding environment.
Scientists detected 9 different antibiotic compounds in different stream sediments. Under suitable
environmental conditions, antibiotic residues on sediment effect microbial communities and only
resistant individuals can survive.
Effect of Monoculture
Mono-culture opens the entire crop to attack by a single disease and makes all of it vulnerable to
changes in environmental conditions. It also tend to reduce soil fertility because each species has
its own set of requirements for soil nutrients. The repeated planting of a single species can
reduce the availability of the essential elements.

Soil Erosion
DEFORESTATION
Without plant cover, erosion can occur and sweep the land into rivers. The
agricultural plants that often replace the trees cannot hold onto the soil and many
of these plants, such as coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean and wheat, can actually
worsen soil erosion. And as land loses its fertile soil, agricultural producers move
on, clear more forest and continue the cycle of soil loss.
OVERGRAZING
The conversion of natural ecosystems to pasture land doesn’t damage the land
initially as much as crop production, but this change in usage can lead to high rates
of erosion and loss of topsoil and nutrients. Overgrazing can reduce ground cover,
enabling erosion and compaction of the land by wind and rain.. This reduces the
ability for plants to grow and water to penetrate, which harms soil microbes and
results in serious erosion of the land.
USE OF AGROCHEMICALS
Pesticides and other chemicals used on crop plants have helped farmers to increase yields. Scientists
have found that overuse of some of these chemicals changes soil composition and disrupts the balance
of microorganisms in the soil. This stimulates the growth of harmful bacteria at the expense of
beneficial kinds.
LOSS OF ARABLE LAND
Arable land is any land that can be used to grow crops. Many of the practices used in growing
those crops can lead to the loss of topsoil and destruction of soil characteristics that make
agriculture possible.
CLOGGED AND POLLUTED WATERWAYS
Soil eroded from the land, along with pesticides and fertilizers applied to fields, washes into
streams and waterways. This sedimentation and pollution can damage freshwater and marine
habitats and the local communities that depend on them.
INCREASED FLOODING
Land is often transformed from a forest or other natural landscape, such as floodplains and
wetlands, into a crop field or pasture. The converted land is less able to soak up water, making
flooding more common. There are methods to improve soil water holding capacity as well as
restoration and maintenance of wetlands.
Soil acidification is a natural process accelerated by agriculture. Soil acidifies because the
concentration of hydrogen ions in the soil increases. The main cause of soil acidification is
inefficient use of nitrogen, followed by the export of alkalinity in produce.
Ammonium based fertilisers are major contributors to soil acidification. Ammonium nitrogen is
readily converted to nitrate and hydrogen ions in the soil. If nitrate is not taken-up by plants, it
can leach away from the root zone leaving behind hydrogen ions thereby increasing soil acidity.
Most plant material is slightly alkaline and removal by grazing or harvest leaves residual
hydrogen ions in the soil. Over time, as this process is repeated, the soil becomes acidic. Major
contributors are hay, especially lucerne hay and legume crops. Alkalinity removed in animal
products is low, however, concentration of dung in stock camps adds to the total alkalinity
exported in animal production.
Soil compaction, also known as soil structure degradation, is the increase of bulk density or
decrease in porosity of soil due to externally or internally applied loads.[1] Compaction can
adversely affect nearly all physical, chemical and biological properties and functions of
soil.[2] Together with soil erosion, it is regarded as the "costliest and most serious environmental
problem caused by conventional agriculture."[3]
In agriculture, soil compaction is a complex problem in which soil, crops, weather
and machinery interact. External pressure due to the use of heavy machinery and inappropriate
soil management can lead to the compaction of subsoil, creating impermeable layers within the
soil that restrict water and nutrient cycles. This process can cause on-site effects such as reduced
crop growth, yield and quality as well as off-site effects such as increased surface water run-
off, soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, reduced groundwater recharge and
a loss of biodiversity.
Soil compaction, also known as soil structure degradation, is the increase of bulk density or
decrease in porosity of soil due to externally or internally applied loads.[1] Compaction can
adversely affect nearly all physical, chemical and biological properties and functions of
soil.[2] Together with soil erosion, it is regarded as the "costliest and most serious environmental
problem caused by conventional agriculture."[3]
In agriculture, soil compaction is a complex problem in which soil, crops, weather
and machinery interact. External pressure due to the use of heavy machinery and inappropriate
soil management can lead to the compaction of subsoil, creating impermeable layers within the
soil that restrict water and nutrient cycles. This process can cause on-site effects such as reduced
crop growth, yield and quality as well as off-site effects such as increased surface water run-
off, soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, reduced groundwater recharge and
a loss of biodiversity.
For elimination of stem, hay and especially secondary product applied agricultural areas; stubble
is burned to prepare seed sowing. But it is clear that stubble burning cause to very important
environment problems. It cause to wind and water erosion, product lose when it made
uncontrolled applications, breaks the natural vegetation and makes the soil unfertile by
destroying vitality on the top side of soil. For these harms on the environment, stubble burning
prohibited with laws in many countries.
Another problem is overgrazing. Overgrazing occurs when farm animals eat large amounts of the
land cover. Overgrazing destroys natural vegetation and causes the soil to wash or blow away
more easily. In many dry regions of the world, overgrazing and the clearing of land for farming
have led to desertification. (dih-ZUR-tuhfih-KAY-shuhn) is the expansion of desert conditions in
areas where the natural plant cover has been destroyed.
The planting on hillsides can result in landslides.
Salinisation: Water moves into plant roots by a process known as osmosis, which is controlled
by the level of salts in the soil water and in the water contained in the plant.

If the level of salts in the soil water is too high, water may flow from the plant roots back into the
soil. This results in dehydration of the plant, causing yield decline or even death of the plant.

Crop yield losses may occur even though the effects of salinity may not be obvious. The salt
tolerance of a specific crop depends on its ability to extract water from salinised soils.

Salinity affects production in crops, pastures and trees by interfering with nitrogen uptake,
reducing growth and stopping plant reproduction.

Some ions (particularly chloride) are toxic to plants and as the concentration of these ions
increases, the plant is poisoned and dies.

How Agricutural Waste affects the environment

1. Health Problems
Pesticides, ammonia, heavy metals, fertilizers, and oils from farms and farm machinery pose
serious health problems when they enter drinking water. When humans consume the
contaminated water, they directly absorb the harmful substances in their systems which can
result in dire health problems or even premature death. Sources have verified that intake of
nitrates from the contaminated water causes blue baby syndrome which leads to infant fatalities.

Other harmful chemicals such as heavy metals can impair vital body organs, the immune system,
and can destroy the nervous system. Parasites and bacteria from farm waste may also
contaminate water, contributing to diseases and fatality.

2.Can Reduce Long-term Agricultural Yields

Pesticides and herbicides combined with other agrochemicals are continually used to control
invasive pests, weeds, and diseases or in other farm operations. However, many farmers don’t
realize the long-term effects of consistently using these toxic chemicals. Since they remain in the
soil for years, they have the potential of contaminating waters and plants and kills soil
microorganisms as well as beneficial insects.
In this sense, the soil fertility, produce quality, and ecological balance is impacted which can in
the long-term reduce the overall agricultural yields. Perhaps, it is the reason farmers are moving
back to traditional manures and organic farming methods.

3.Effect on Aquatic Life

Since agricultural pollution mainly impacts water systems and ground water, aquatic life forms
are severely affected. The agrochemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers can be absorbed by the
aquatic life forms affecting their health and reproductive cycles. High levels of nitrogen and
phosphorus from fertilizers, manure and animal waste in surface waters give rise to
eutrophication which depletes dissolved oxygen, killing fish and other aquatic life. Other
chemical compounds such as heavy metals and ammonia can potentially harm aquatic life and
kill fish.

4.Eutrophication

Increased levels of chemical nutrients in aquatic systems, nitrogen and phosphorus, from manure
and fertilizers give rise to eutrophication when washed into nearby surface waters by rain or
irrigation. Eutrophication is the dense growth of plant life and algae on the water surface and
mainly leads to high incidences of algal blooms.

Eutrophication extensively depletes dissolved oxygen which can kill fish and other aquatic biota.
It is also linked to increased incidence of paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans, leading to
death.

5.Soil Pollution and Depletion of Soil Fertility

Chemical pesticides, herbicides and agrochemicals used to control pests, diseases and weeds
normally contaminate the soil and can persist for years. As a result, it gradually alters the soil
microbial activities and soil chemistry, depleting soil fertility by killing soil microorganisms.
Reports determine that millions of fertile soils are lost annually because of the use of synthetic
fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides combined with other farm practices.

6.Water Pollution

Agricultural operations and practices such as inappropriate water management and irrigation
mainly lead to water pollution from surface run-off, both to surface and ground water. The use of
fertilizers, pesticides, manure, herbicides and other agrochemicals lead to widespread
contamination of waterways and ground waters and depreciate water quality. Soil erosion and
sedimentation equally contaminates the water, makes it dirty, and increases its turbidity. In turn,
plants, wildlife, humans, animals and aquatic life are negatively affected.

7.Air Pollution

Livestock and fertilized soils can be considerable sources of gaseous emissions. Carbon and
nitrogen-based compounds such as nitrogen oxides and ammonia qualify as potential greenhouse
gases. Farm tillage, harvesting, and other farm activities that involve mechanical operations like
the use of tractors or harvesters among other farm machinery significantly contribute to
greenhouse gas emissions by combusting fossil fuel. Additionally, some soil biochemical
processes naturally emit numerous greenhouse gasses.

8.Destroys Biodiversity

The persistent use of chemical products in agricultural production degrades and destroys the
soils, animals, plants, waters, and wildlife, gradually altering the ecosystems which support
biodiversity. Furthermore, pesticides can kill beneficial insects, soil microorganisms, birds and
some rare small species like butterflies which have far-reaching effects on biodiversity. Since
these chemicals remain in the soils for many years, the repercussions to biodiversity are massive.

Agriculture accounts for 70% of total water consumption worldwide and is the single-largest
contributor of non-point-source pollution to surface water and groundwater. Agriculture
intensification is often accompanied by increased soil erosion, salinity and sediment loads in
water and by the excessive use (or misuse) of agricultural inputs (e.g. fertilizers) to increase
productivity. Pollution caused by agriculture can contaminate water, food, fodder, farms, the
natural environment and the atmosphere. Pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture can
contaminate both groundwater and surface water, as can organic livestock wastes, antibiotics,
silage effluents, and processing wastes from plantation crops. Pollution caused by large-scale
industrial farming (including livestock and fisheries) is categorized as point-source pollution, and
pollution caused by small-scale family-sized farming is considered non-point-source pollution.
One of FAO’s mandates is to work closely with countries and other UN and non-UN
organizations to monitor, control and mitigate pollution loads from agricultural activities, as well
as the negative impacts of agricultural pollution on people’s health and the environment. In
tackling this challenge, FAO takes a multidimensional and ‘nexus’ approach to ensure that all
aspects are covered – that is, socio-economic, health, environmental and food safety.

Agriculture as a user of marginal quality water (e.g. untreated wastewater): victim

With increasing demand for agricultural commodities, farmers are looking increasingly at non-
conventional water sources of marginal quality, including wastewater. Domestic and municipal
wastewater presents an attractive option because of its high nutrient content, especially when
conventional water resources are scarce or lacking.
The unsafe use of non-conventional sources of water – especially wastewater – in agriculture can
lead to the accumulation of microbiological and chemical pollutants in crops, livestock products
and soil and water resources and ultimately to severe health impacts among exposed food
consumers and farm workers; it may also exacerbate antimicrobial resistance. If adequately
treated and safely applied, however, wastewater can be a valuable source of both water and
nutrients and thereby contribute to food security and livelihood improvement.

The Problem with Methane

Methane is a greenhouse gas as is carbon dioxide. Human activity has increased the amount of
methane in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Methane is particularly problematic
as its impact is 34 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period, according to the latest IPCC
Assessment Report. A significant source of human-made methane emissions is fossil fuel
production. For example, methane is a key by-product of the rapidly rising global extraction and
processing of natural gas. Other top sources of methane come from the digestive process of
livestock and from landfills, which emit it as waste decomposes.

CL I MAT E IMPA C T S
Methane is generally considered second to carbon dioxide in its importance to climate change.
The presence of methane in the atmosphere can also affect the abundance of other greenhouse
gases, such as tropospheric ozone, water vapor and carbon dioxide.

Recent research suggests that the contribution of methane emissions to global warming is 25%
higher than previous estimates.
H E AL T H IMPACT S
Methane is a key precursor gas of the harmful air pollutant, tropospheric ozone. Globally,
increased methane emissions are responsible for half of the observed rise in tropospheric ozone
levels.
While methane does not cause direct harm to human health or crop production, ozone is
responsible for about 1 million premature respiratory deaths globally.