Negative Effects of Agriculture on the Environment

Agriculture is a vital part of our current way of life, however current agricultural practices have had numerous negative effects on the environment and surrounding habitats.  Forests have to be cleared in order to provide space for agriculture.  This destroys the forest ecosystems and also contributes to climate change due to forests acting as carbon sinks.  Other agricultural processes release greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide as well.

The removal of trees can cause water to evaporate faster due to the lack of shade, and in addition to the other pollutants, negatively affect the water quality.  The lower water quality then affects the rest of the ecosystem that relies on the water, as well as humans.  Uneven irrigation can result in under irrigation of soil some areas which causes increased salinity, killing the plants.  Over irrigation can cause more nutrient and chemical runoff, which also affects water quality.   Water can also erode the topsoil, causing a decline in the soil quality.  Other factors which negatively affect the soil quality include chemicals from pesticides and improper waste disposal.

In order to reduce the impacts on the surrounding environment, sustainable agricultural practices need to be implemented.  Soil is the most important aspect in ensuring crop growth.  Methods to preserve soil quality include installing windbreaks to reduce wind erosion, low-till or no-till farming to avoid water evaporation and retain nutrients, and composting also helps to reintroduce nutrients back into the soil.  Another method includes reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and growing a number of different crops in the same field so that the legumes can naturally restore nutrients in the soil each season.  This also helps with monocultures of crops, which are susceptible to diseases.  Measures need to be put into place to ensure there can be enough food produced as human populations increase and the need for available farmland increases as well.