Intensive agriculture

Devising an economical method of producing agricultural-grade potassium phosphates from potassium chloride and wet-process phosphoric acid has been the subject of intense agricultural—chemical research (37—39). Limited quantities have been produced industrially. The impact on the overall quantities of phosphoms and potassium compounds consumed by the fertilizer industry is small. Because potassium phosphates are an excellent source of two essential fertilizer elements, this research is expected to continue. 

The fungicides are among the chemicals of wide use as plant diseases control agents in intensive agriculture. At the same time these pesticides could have toxic effects, when accumulated in man and animals. Because of general society concern about fungicides use, they should be monitored in waters, soils and crops. 

Observed recovery in raptors has been slow owing to their lifecycle this is also an indication of the environmental movement and dispersal of endocrine disrupting chemicals from areas of intense agriculture to the aquatic environmental... 

White, C.D., Healy, PE. and Schwarcz, H.P. 1993 Intensive agriculture, social status, and Maya diet at Pacbitun, Belize. Journu/ of Anthropological Research 49 347-375. 

Fertilizers are immensely important to humanity. Agriculture requires fertilizers because growing plants remove various chemical elements from the soil. In a fully contained ecosystem, decaying organic matter replenishes the soil, but the elements contained in crops that are harvested and shipped elsewhere are not replenished. Thus, intensive agriculture inevitably depletes the soil of essential elements, which must be replaced by fertilization. 

Moreno-Mateos D, Pedrocchi C, Comih FA (2010) Effects of wetland construction on water quality in a semi-arid catchment degraded by intensive agricultural use. Ecol Eng 36 631-639... 

The Ebro catchment is the largest river basin in Spain. It covers an area of 85,362 km2 (http //www.chebro.es) and receives the potential influence of three million people. It suffers a considerable ecological impact from different industrial activities located predominantly in the last third of its course. These activities result on the release to the Ebro River and to some of its tributaries of Tm quantities of chlorinated organic compounds, PBDE and other brominated flame retardants, mercury, and other metals. In addition, intensive agricultural practices, mainly concentrated in the last 30 km of the river course and in its Delta, imply the use of large quantity of pesticides and fertilizers. In this paper, we review physiological effects of these pollutants in resident fish and shellfish populations and provide a general picture of the health status of the low course of the Ebro River. 

Pesticides arrive in the Ebro River at least from two main sources. Chlorinated pesticides (DDT, HCHs, etc.), currently limited or banned in Europe, are or have been produced by different factories in Monzon and Flix, along with its subproduct HCB. These compounds are present not only in the Flix residues, but also in sediments and fauna all along the low Ebro River. In addition, modem, more sophisticated pesticides, including triazines, phenylureas, anilines, and organopho-sphates, are currently used in the intensive agricultural practices currently common in the Ebro Delta [6, 7, 10]. 

Water pollution continues on a large scale. The Dnieper region is the worst affected among its counterparts in Ukraine. Here, the situation is disastrous because of a combination of energy-intensive industries, thermal power generation, and intensive agriculture, further aggravated by Chernobyl. 

Pesticides in wastewaters come typically from point sources of contamination such as disposal sites and landfills where industrial or agricultural wastes are buried without any consideration, as well as discharges from industrial effluents from pesticide production plants. Furthermore, nonpoint sources derived from regular agricultural activities, especially in intensive agricultural areas, and accidental spills can also be significant. Urban use of pesticides is also possible in large cities where the use of herbicides and insecticides may result in runoff into the sewers. These sewers in turn may expel pesticides into wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). 

The growing world population requires an ever-increasing dependable supply of essentials for living. Agricultural development of tropical lands has been on the increase for decades. However, only in relatively recent years has intensive agricultural development of these lands become so important. 

In order to ascertain the degree of accomplishment of the aforementioned Directive 2006/118/EC in Catalonia (NE, Spain) and better characterise the nature of the contamination of these aquifers by pesticides, a monitoring programme was carried out on various selected hydrological units intended to be among the most vulnerable and relevant ones because of intensive agricultural activity and use for human consumption. The number of aquifers analysed depends more or less on the extension of the groundwater body. Eor example, bodies M46 and M21 present extensions of 18 and 72 km, respectively, and just one and two aquifers of each body were analysed, respectively. In contrast, body Ml8 (Maresme) presents an extension of more than 400 km, and nine different aquifers were analysed. 

Pressure and impact analysis of intensive agriculture on groundwater ... 

---