ENV 214

Environmental Management

Lecture 6: Land, Agriculture and Environment

Haniyum Maria Khan (Hmk1)

Lecturer, ESM
Spring 2023

North South University

 Land Pollution
• Land pollution is the deterioration (destruction) of the
earth’s land surfaces, often directly or indirectly as a
result of man’s activities and their misuse of land
resources.
• It occurs due to,
– Improper waste disposal (municipal and industrial
waste)
– Use of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers in the soil
during agricultural practices.
– Exploitation of minerals (mining activities)
 Land Pollution
• Human actions have also caused many large areas of land
to lose or reduce their capacity to support life forms and
ecosystems. This is know as Land Degradation.
 Sources of Land Pollution
• Agricultural sources:
– waste matter produced by crop, animal manure, and farm
residues
 Sources of Land Pollution
• Ashes:
– The residual matter that remains after solid fuels are
burned
– Bottom ash is the debris from burnt metal and glass waste.
Fly ash is trapped by filters in the chimney of the
incinerators
 Sources of Land Pollution
• Mining sources:
– Clear the land surfaces (clearcutting) and use 'skid trails'
often leave the land unrestored.
– iron and other chemicals such as copper, mercury and lead
from mining practices leach into the soil and pollute it.
 Sources of Land Pollution
• Industrial sources
– paints, chemicals, metals and
aluminum, plastics 
• Sewage Treatment:
– Wastes that are left over after
sewage has been treated, biomass
sludge, and settled solids
• Garbage or waste: 
– household or municipal waste
such as glass, metal, cloth, plastic,
wood, paper
• Construction sources:
– debris, wood, metals and plastics
 Sources of Land Pollution
• Deforestation: 
– trees are cut down for economic
purposes, mining, farming and
construction.
• Chemical And Nuclear Plants:
– chemical waste from chemical
industries that are disposed off
into landfills and other less safe
storage facilities
• Oil Refineries:
– When crude oil is refined into
usable petro, gas or diesel, there
are by products that end up as
waste.
 Effects of Land Pollution
1. Contaminated lands and environments can:
• Cause problems in the human respiratory system.
• Cause problems on the skin.

• Cause various kinds of cancers.

 Effects of Land Pollution
2. Toxic materials in polluted soil get into the human body
by:
• Coming into contact with the skin.

• Being washed into water sources like reservoirs and rivers.

• Eating fruits and vegetables that have been grown in

polluted soil.
• Breathing in polluted dust or particles.
 Effects of Land Pollution
3. Dump sites and landfills:
• Very bad smell and odor in the town.

• Landfills breed rodents like rats, mice and insects, who in-
turn transmit diseases.
• Landfills in towns do not attract tourists to the town. The
town will loose revenue.
• Many landfills are always burning and they cause
further air pollution
 Prevention and Solutions
• Education and awareness about the harmful effects of
littering
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle of any items like clothing, bottles,
wrapping paper and shopping bags
• Separate waste for recycling
• Buy biodegradable products
• Store all liquid chemicals and waste in spill-proof containers
• Eat and buy organic foods that are grown without pesticides.
• Reduce/prevent using pesticides
• Buy products that have little packaging
• Don’t dump motor oil on the ground.
• Government incentives for people to recycle and re-use
things.
Agriculture
 Agriculture
• Agriculture refers to the production of goods (food, fiber,
etc.) through the growing of plants, animals and other life
forms. It is the art and science of farming.

• People obtain food from cultivated plants and

domesticated animals.
 Agriculture
• Historically, humans have depended on three systems for
their food supply:

– (1) croplands (mostly for producing grains, which provide

about 76% of the world's food),

– (2) rangelands (for producing meat mostly from grazing

livestock, which supply about 17% of the world's food),
and

– (3) fisheries (which supply about 7% of the world's food).

Cropland
Rangeland
Fisheries
 Agriculture Related
Major Environmental Problems
Major environmental problems that result from agriculture
include
• Deforestation,
• Desertification,
• Soil Erosion,
• Overgrazing,
• Degradation Of Water Resources,
• Salinization,
• Accumulation Of Toxic Organic Compounds, And
• Water pollution including eutrophication
Deforestation at Rohingya Camp
Desertification
Soil Erosion
Overgrazing
Soil Salinization
Water Pollution from Agriculture
Accumulation Of Toxic Organic Compounds
Eutrophication
 Effects of Agriculture on Environment
• Agriculture has both primary and secondary effects.
• Primary effect, also called an on-site effect, is an effect on
the area where the agriculture takes place.
 Effects of Agriculture on Environment
• Secondary effect, or off-site effect, is an effect on an
environment away from the agricultural site, typically
downstream and downwind.
 Effects of Agriculture on Environment
Global effects of agriculture
• First agriculture changes:
- land cover, resulting in changes in reflection of light by the
land surface;
- the evaporation of water ;
- the roughness of the surface; and
- the rate of change of chemical compounds.

• Second, modern agriculture increase CO 2.

 Effects of Agriculture on Environment
• Agriculture also affect climate though fire associated
with clearing land for it.

• Artificial production of nitrogen compound for use in

fertilizer which may be leading to significant change in
the biogeochemical cycle.

• Finally, agriculture affects species diversity.

Major Problems in Bangladesh Agricultural Sector

1. Population Pressure;
2. Small and Fragmented Land Holdings;
3. Inadequate Irrigation Facilities;
4. Depleted Soils;
5. Storage of food grains;
6. Farm Implements;
7. Vulnerable to climate change

35
 Some Challenges
• Rapid shrinkage of agricultural land @1% p.a.
• Population growth @1.3% p.a.
• Climate change and variations
• Rapid urbanization growth @12% p.a.
• Lack of technology generation (needs expertise, time
and money)
• Lack of technology dissemination (needs expertise,
time, logistics support)
• Lack of alternative livelihoods/rehabilitation program
 Prospects of Agriculture
• Modern technological knowledge is available for
reducing yield gaps
• Scope for expanding hybrid technology exists
• Prospects for adoption of advanced technology in
agriculture are bright
• Potentials for proper utilization of hilly/haor/coastal
areas including agro-ecologically disadvantaged regions
exist
• Export potentials exist for high-value crops
• Scope for crop diversification, intensification and value
addition to agricultural produces
• Agriculture sector has capacity to absorb labor force and
to generate income.
 Climate Change and Agriculture
• Agriculture heavily depends on natural rainfall,
weather & temperature, water level, soil condition etc.
• Uncontrolled farming environment (flooding, drought,
etc)
• Rice based agriculture greatly depends on the
availability of fresh surface/rain and ground water
• Seasonal farming
• Lack of stress tolerant varieties
 Combating Climate Change Impact
Adaptation
1. Stress (flood, drought, submergence, salinity, heat,
cold..) tolerant varieties
2. Short duration crops
3. Innovative farming practices (Drone pollination, Urban
vertical farms)
4. Floating cultivation method (hydroponics)
5. Crop diversification
6. Changing/shifting cropping pattern
7. Alternative wetting and drying irrigation methods
 Combating Climate Change Impact
Mitigation

1. Coastal green belt

2. Embankment/Dam
3. Tidal River Management
4. Early warning and weather forecasting
5. Crop insurance
6. Saline tolerant rice
 Agricultural Sustainability
• Sustainability in agricultural systems incorporates
concepts of both resilience (the capacity of systems to
buffer shocks and stresses) and persistence (the capacity
of systems to continue over long periods), and addresses
many wider economic, social and environmental
outcomes.

47
 Agricultural Sustainability
• Agricultural sustainability depends on the development
of agricultural technologies and practices that:

1. do not have adverse effects on the environment

(partly because the environment is an important
asset for farming);
2. are accessible to and effective for farmers and
3. Lead to both improvements in food productivity and
have positive side effects on environmental goods
and services.

48
 The Key Principles for Agricultural Sustainability:

I. integrate biological and ecological processes such as

nutrient cycling, nitrogen fixation, soil regeneration,
competition, predation and parasitism into food production
processes,
II. minimize the use of those non-renewable inputs that
cause harm to the environment or to the health of farmers
and consumers,
III. make productive use of the knowledge and skills of
farmers, thus improving their self-reliance and substituting
human capital for costly external inputs, and
IV. make productive use of people’s collective capacities to
work together to solve common agricultural and natural
resource problems, such as for pest, watershed, irrigation,
forest and credit management. 49