Global Review of Water Pollution from Agriculture by FAO

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Global Review of Water Pollution from Agriculture by FAO

Water pollution from unsustainable agricultural practices threatens human health and ecosystems, according to a report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on behalf of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems.

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Noting that the role of agriculture in water pollution is often underestimated by policymakers and farmers, the report titled, ‘More People, More Food, Worse Water? A Global Review of Water Pollution from Agriculture,’ explains that agriculture, not human settlements or industry, is the biggest source of water pollution. Nitrate from farming is the most common chemical contaminant found in groundwater aquifers.

The report aims to increase understanding regarding the causes and effects of agricultural water pollution and the means to prevent its occurrence. It covers agricultural sectors, such as cropping systems, and livestock and aquaculture production, as well as the expansion of irrigation, and fertilizer and pesticide use. It examines water pollution drivers, pressures and changes in water bodies, impacts on human health and the environment, and responses to prevent water pollution and mitigate its risks. The report explains that annual costs of water pollution from agriculture are in the billions of dollars.

More people, more food, worse water?
a global review of water pollution from agriculture

Year of publication: 2018
Publisher: FAO
Place of publication: Rome, Italy
Other Entities Involved: Water, Land and Ecosystems led by IWMI
Pages: #225 p.
ISBN: 978-92-5-130729-8
Job Number: CA0146EN;
Author: Mateo-Sagasta, J. ; Marjani Zadeh, S. ; Turral, H.;
Agrovoc: water pollution; agriculture; water quality; risk management;
SDG: 06. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all;

Abstract:
Current patterns of agricultural expansion and intensification are bringing unprecedented environmental externalities, including impacts on water quality. While water pollution is slowly starting to receive the attention it deserves, the contribution of agriculture to this problem has not yet received sufficient consideration.

We need a much better understanding of the causes and effects of agricultural water pollution as well as effective means to prevent and remedy the problem. In the existing literature, information on water pollution from agriculture is highly dispersed. This repost is a comprehensive review and covers different agricultural sectors (including crops, livestock and aquaculture), and examines the drivers of water pollution in these sectors as well as the resulting pressures and changes in water bodies, the associated impacts on human health and the environment, and the responses needed to prevent pollution and mitigate its risks.

 

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Study source: FAO

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