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The environmental impact of agriculture is the effect that different farming practices have on the ecosystems around them, and how those effects can be traced back to those practices. [1] The environmental impact of agriculture varies widely based on practices employed by farmers and by the scale of practice.
Diffuse source pollution from agricultural fertilizers is more difficult to trace, monitor and control. High nitrate concentrations are found in groundwater and may reach 50 mg/litre (the EU Directive limit). In ditches and river courses, nutrient pollution from fertilizers causes eutrophication. This is worse in winter, after autumn ploughing ...
Animal agriculture is a cause of harmful particulate matter pollution in the atmosphere. This type of production chain produces byproducts; endotoxin, hydrogen sulfide , ammonia, and particulate matter (PM), such as dust, [ 60 ] [ 61 ] all of which can negatively impact human respiratory health. [ 62 ]
Soil washed off fields is the largest source of agricultural pollution in the United States. Excess sediment causes high levels of turbidity in water bodies, which can inhibit growth of aquatic plants, clog fish gills and smother animal larvae. [6] Farmers may utilize erosion controls to reduce runoff flows and retain soil on their fields ...
The absence of environmentally friendly agricultural waste management further leads to animal suffering, water pollution, fertilisation, and decline in biodiversity, among others. [ 25 ] According to the waste hierarchy , burning agricultural waste for the sake of energy generation is a less environmentally friendly treatment method than ...
There are two primary sources of pollution for nitrogen: agriculture and septic systems. Agriculture can contribute from heavy use of fertilizer as well as animal agriculture waste. Over 68 published and peer-reviewed studies have been conducted since 2002, out of these studies 15 found direct links to groundwater pollution from animals' waste ...
Environmental issues include contributions to climate change, depletion of aquifers, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, and other agricultural pollution. Agriculture is both a cause of and sensitive to environmental degradation, such as biodiversity loss, desertification, soil degradation, and climate change, all of which can cause decreases ...
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste .