Excess phosphorous from croplands total in tonnes per year. Many countries — particularly poorer countries across Sub-Saharan Africa — do not use enough fertilizer. Their crop yields suffer as a result.
This is bad for farmers; food security; and the environment because it means they need to use more land for agriculture. As I covered in my recent article , Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to be the hotspot of habitat loss in the coming decades as a result of expanding croplands.
Thousands of mammals, birds and amphibian species are at risk. The good news is that if we can improve crop yields, we can prevent almost all of this.
Fertilizers will play an important role in achieving this. At the other end of the spectrum, some countries use too much. They could use much less — and produce much less pollution — without it affecting crop yields. Getting this balance right would bring a range of socioeconomic and environmental benefits. In a related article we look at this trade-off in more detail, and explore the possible solutions for reducing nutrient pollution. Summary Fertilizers have transformed the way the world produces food.
Click to open interactive version. Related chart Excess nitrogen from croplands total in tonnes per year. The other main nutrient we add to our crops via fertilizers is phosphorous. Related chart Excess phosphorous from croplands total in tonnes per year. Explore more of our work at Our World in Data Explore fertilizer use and its impacts across the world in our data explorer. Fertilizers Data Explorer. Wordpress Edit Page. Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone.
Help us do this work by making a donation. These chemicals, many of which were developed in the lab and are petroleum-based, have allowed farmers and gardeners of every stripe to exercise greater control over the plants they want to grow by enriching the immediate environment and warding off pests.
When the excess nutrients from all the fertilizer we use runs off into our waterways, they cause algae blooms sometimes big enough to make waterways impassable. When the algae die, they sink to the bottom and decompose in a process that removes oxygen from the water.
A related issue is the poisoning of aquatic life. According to the U. Centers for Disease Control CDC , Americans alone churn through 75 million pounds of pesticides each year to keep the bugs off their peapods and petunias. When those chemicals get into waterways, fish ingest them and become diseased. Humans who eat diseased fish can themselves become ill, completing the circle wrought by pollution.
A study of pollution in rivers around Portland, Oregon found that wild salmon there are swimming around with dozens of synthetic chemicals in their systems. Another recent study from Indiana found that a variety of corn genetically engineered to produce the insecticide Bt is having toxic effects on non-target aquatic insects, including caddis flies, a major food source for fish and frogs.
The solution, of course, is to go organic, both at home and on the farm. According to the Organic Trade Association, organic farmers and gardeners use composted manure and other natural materials, as well as crop rotation, to help improve soil fertility, rather than synthetic fertilizers that can result in an overabundance of nutrients.
When a specific matter is increased then the vibration and activism in ecosystem get hampered. The government should launch awareness campaign among the farmers with the help of Department of Agriculture to lessen use of chemicals. Dr Atiq Rahman, an environmentalist, use of pesticide or chemical fertilizers spread poisonous gas. It reaches different water bodies and kills fish and other micro water organisms. Agricultural Extension must focus fertilizer efficiently as for Integrated Pest Management should be made universal.
The organic pesticides and using natural resources for pest management should be encouraged. There should be very strict regulation on inorganic pesticides and strict regulation of banned substances, he said. The DAE official claim that at present farmers use balanced chemical and pesticides following suggestions from its mini wing called Soil Resources Development Authority.
Mainuddin Abdullah, agriculture secretary, said his ministry has taken steps to introduce organic fertilizers. Following a series of two-day media training workshops on the UN's post global development agenda, we will be running feature articles and oped pieces written by some of the young journalists who participated in them. All rights reserved. Republish Print Send by email. Workshop in Stockholm: October Workshop in Bonn: October Workshop in Quito: October Workshop in Dhaka: December Our Professional Trainers.
About the UN Foundation. Liberalized energy market lures more local governments.
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