Farming is a career filled with uncertainties – imagine having your annual income (and even food source) being threatened by natural hazards, pests, weeds, and many more dangers that could leave you and your family without sufficient resources to improve your standard of living. Other than having to live with a poor harvest, you may also find yourself negotiating with wholesalers and customers to reach a compromise regarding the lack of supply.
The aforementioned scenario is a nightmare for many commercial farmers who cater to a large customer base, and this also becomes one of the key reasons why they turn to chemical fertilisers. These magic potions are readily accessible to farmers, and requires less effort to prepare as compared to organic fertilisers such as compost and manure. At the same time, their purpose goes beyond helping plants grow faster and healthier – they also provide a guarantee to the quality of the end product in terms of appearance. As such, it would be a huge mistake to claim that chemical fertilisers have no merits at all.
But here is the problem – what happens when farmers apply chemical fertilisers in excess?
A majority of commercial chemical fertilisers contain at least one of these two elements: nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). According to Eurostat (2020), a total of 10.2 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilisers and 1.1 million tonnes of phosphorus fertilisers were used in agricultural sectors across the European Union in 2018. In particular, crops such as wheat, barley, grain maize, potato, and sugar beet had high application rates of nitrogen fertiliser. While the proper, restrained use of these fertilisers can be beneficial to both farmers and nature in the long run, it remains as an exception rather than the norm. In truth, the excessive use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisers is prevalent across the world, with farmers often using more than what is required for short-term economic gain.
Perhaps it can be said that the greatest victim of these actions is nature. In many cases, the large quantities of phosphorus find their way into nearby water sources via surface runoff and leaching, before contributing to the eutrophication of the water. These lead to toxic algal and cyanobacterial blooms which deplete the oxygen of surface waters, release toxins, and kill fish and aquatic plant populations. However, such changes in the ecosystem may also eventually take a toll on the local community. While these consequences may not affect the farmers directly (assuming that they have the means to obtain potable water from another source), others who rely on the polluted water for survival may find themselves suffering from health problems in the long run. As a result, some locals may become less efficient in contributing towards the community, which can take the form of reduced work, income and consumption.
On the other hand, excess nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, is also the culprit behind fine-particulate air pollution. A study performed by Bauer, Tsigaridis and Miller (2016, p. 5394) reveals that when these particles combine with those from combustion, they are capable of forming aerosols which can penetrate into the lungs and result in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Given that the presence of these aerosols are heavily linked to farming in the United States, China and Europe, this research hints at an upcoming worrying trend taking place on a global scale.
We will be looking at nitrogen fertilisers in greater detail in our next post, which is also our very first article review! In the meantime, please feel free to let me know what you think about chemical fertilisers and conventional farming practices!
Best wishes,
Jialing
Reference List
Bauer, S., Tsigaridis, K. and Miller, R. (2016) ‘Significant atmospheric aerosol pollution caused by world food cultivation’, Geophysical Research Letters, 43(10), pp.5394-5400. doi: 10.1002/2016GL068354.
Eurostat (2020) Agri-Environmental Indicator – Mineral Fertiliser Consumption – Statistics Explained. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Agri-environmental_indicator_-_mineral_fertiliser_consumption#Analysis_at_EU_level (Accessed: 27 August 2020).