What is agricultural pollution?
    • Agricultural pollution can be defined as the degradation or contamination of the 
     environment through abiotic and biotic byproducts of farming. 
    • For many years, our ancestors did farming in a sustainable way, thus there were 
     almost no problems with agricultural pollution. 
    • However, due to the optimization of yields over time through the excessive use of 
     fertilizers and pesticides, agricultural pollution became a significant problem to the 
     environment. 
    • There are also many other sources from agricultural pollution. 
    • The sources as well as solutions related to agricultural pollution are shown in the 
     following.
    Causes
    • Excessive use of pesticides and herbicides
    • Use of large amounts of fertilizer
    • Contaminated water
    • Heavy metals
    • Soil erosion
    • Animal management
    • Manure management
    • Introduced species
    • Genetically modified organisms
    • Land management
    • Greenhouse gases from fecal waste
     Excessive use of pesticides and herbicides
     • The excessive use of pesticides and herbicides in order to optimize yields has become 
      a big problem to the environment. 
     • Pesticides and herbicides contain many chemicals which can impact the ecological 
      system in an adverse manner. 
     • The crops contaminated with these chemicals are eaten by us which can cause health 
      issues for sensible people. 
     • Moreover, the chemicals are washed through the soil in the groundwater and thus 
      contamination it. 
     • In addition, animals will eat part of the crops and plants and are harmed by the 
      chemicals as well.
    Use of large amounts of fertilizer
    • A similar problem occurs from the use of fertilizers. 
    • An excessive fertilizer use leads to a contamination of rivers and lakes with nitrates 
     and phosphates which causes algae contamination and thus harms the water 
     environment. 
    • Using large amounts of fertilizer can also contaminate the groundwater and thus 
     harms the whole ecosystem, including humans, plants and animals.
    Contaminated water
    • The use of contaminated water for agricultural purposes is a significant issue. 
    • While most of the water in developed countries is relatively clean, this can be quite 
     different in developing countries. 
    • The water can be contaminated due to the disposal of industrial, agricultural or 
     private waste into rivers, lakes or other water systems. 
    • This can cause the crops being contaminated with chemicals and harmful elements 
     like lead or even mercury. 
    • In turn, these crops are used by humans as well as to feed animals and thus can harm 
     both in a severe way.