Impact of agriculture on the environment
The effects of the farming in the environment each day they gain greater relevance. The pressure of demographic growth makes the demand for agricultural land grow, to the detriment of the expansion of natural ecosystems. This phenomenon is among the most important factors of all they contribute to environmental degradation and the loss of biodiversity.
What is the impact of agriculture?
Understand how it is distributed the use of land on the planet is fundamental to properly estimating the Impact of agriculture. At present, the area used for this human activity is approximately 5000 million hectares, one a figure representing 38% in the first quarter.
Around a third is allocated to crops, while the rest provides pasture and meadows for livestock. In addition, two-thirds of the fresh water available It is used in agricultural activities. These figures rise considerably on the Asian continent.
It's a type of production with Diverse and profound effects in the environment. It contributes significantly to air pollution and accounts for the largest proportion of greenhouse gases emitted by humans: methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. On the other hand, it is the most important source of groundwater contamination with pesticides, nitrates and phosphates, especially when It's about intensive agriculture.
The use of urea-based fertilisers and the combustion of biomass as a consequence of deforestation are two activities that generate ammonia in large volumes. This compound is a potent acidifier and one of the main causes of Acid rain. It is a phenomenon that damages forests, affects biodiversity, and alters the pH of soils and waters.
There are also other processes related to agricultural farming that degrade the environment. These include excessive extraction of surface and underground water, the mass production of waste and land salinisation.
What should be done?
The impact of agriculture on the environment varies according to its techniques, methods and scales of production. The effects are global, because it affects everyone Components of ecosystems, the genetic diversity of domestic and wild species, and food quality.
The sustainable production methods mitigate the negative effects of agriculture on the environment. Their adoption not only reduces them, but can to revert them. The most important measures are aimed at conserving forest spaces, storing carbon in the soil, Waste production control and to prevent water pollution.
Companies that care about the impact of Environmental impact of agriculture they design their production processes in a sustainable way, to have the minimal negative effects. It is the Future of the planet What's at stake.
