Impact of Agriculture on Ecosystem

Under conventional agriculture, the use of pesticides has led to high levels of chemical build up in the environment in soil, water, air, and even in our bodies. The path of conventional agriculture that we have chosen is unsustainable.

Organic farming maintains the long-term fertility of the soil and thus is sustainable. It is a system of farming that relies upon the use of organic inputs for cultivation. It is a natural way of farming which is environment friendly.

Since the population is increasing rapidly, cattle farming is a must to meet the needs of the growing population to feed them with meat (beef and veal), dairy products (milk), etc. Due to this forests are getting destroyed in order to convert it into grazing land which is also a reason for deforestation.

Hydroelectric plants and large dams have posed a big threat to the ecosystem. For example, the Idukki dam over the Periyar river in Kerala has sharply reduced the forest cover.

Deforestation means the removal of the forest cover of an area in demand of more land for agriculture and human settlement.
Reasons behind deforestation are as follows:
(i) Requirement of fuelwood for cooking, lighting, and heating purposes.
(ii) Requirement of raw material for industries like wood for paper, furniture, etc.
(iii) Construction of dams
(iv) Overgrazing