People, More Food, Worse Water?
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LED BY LED BY More people, more food, worse water? more food, More people, worse water? more food, More people, Current patternsCurrent patterns of agricultural of agricultural expansion expansion and intensification and intensification are bringing are bringing unprecedented unprecedented environmentalenvironmental externalities, externalities, including including impacts impactson water on quality. water Whilequality. water While pollution water pollution is is slowly startingslowly startingto receive to thereceive attention the attention it deserves, it deserves, the contribution the contribution of agriculture of agriculture to this to this problemproblem has not yethas received not yet received sufficient sufficient consideration. consideration. We needWe a much need bettera much understanding better understanding of the causes of the andcauses effects and of effects agricultural of agricultural water water pollutionpollution as well asas effectivewell as effective means to means prevent to preventand remedy and remedythe problem. the problem. In the existing In the existing literature,literature, information information on water on pollution water pollution from agriculture from agriculture is highly is dispersed. highly dispersed. This report This is report is a comprehensivea comprehensive review and review covers and different covers different agricultural agricultural sectors (includingsectors (including crops, livestock crops, livestock - - a global review of water pollution from agriculture a global review of water pollution from agriculture and aquaculture),and aquaculture), and examines and examines the drivers the ofdrivers water of pollution water pollution in these insectors these assectors well asas thewell as the resultingresulting pressures pressures and changes and changes in water in bodies, water thebodies, associated the associated impacts impactson human on healthhuman health and the andenvironment, the environment, and the andresponses the responses needed toneeded prevent to preventpollution pollution and mitigate and mitigate its risks. its risks. MoreMore people, people, more more food, food, worse worse water? water? a globala global review review of water of water pollution pollution from from agriculture agriculture FAO/IWMI FAO/IWMI ISBN 978-92-5-130729-8ISBN 978-92-5-130729-8 9 7892519 789251307298307298 CA0146EN/1/06.18CA0146EN/1/06.18 More people, more food, worse water? a global review of water pollution from agriculture Edited by Javier Mateo-Sagasta (IWMI), Sara Marjani Zadeh (FAO) and Hugh Turral Published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2018 and the International Water Management Institute on behalf of the Water Land and Ecosystems research program of the CGIAR Colombo, 2018 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), or of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO, or IWMI in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO, or IWMI. ISBN 978-92-5-130729-8 (FAO) © FAO and IWMI, 2018 FAO and IWMI encourage the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO and IWMI as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s and IWMI’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way. All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licence- request or addressed to [email protected]. FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/ publications) and can be purchased through [email protected] Cover photographs, clockwise from top left: Fasseh Shams/IWMI, Jim Holmes/IWMI, Hamish John Appleby/IWMI iii Contents Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................xi Foreword .........................................................................................................................................xiii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................xiv PART I: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ...................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1. SETTING THE SCENE ...............................................................................................3 1.1. A global water quality crisis and the role of agriculture ....................................................3 1.2 What this publication is about .................................................................................................7 1.3 How to use this publication ...................................................................................................10 1.4 References .................................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 2. GLOBAL DRIVERS OF WATER POLLUTION FROM AGRICULTURE .........................15 2.1 Trends in population, diet and food demand .....................................................................16 2.2 Expansion and intensification of agricultural systems .....................................................19 2.2.1 Cropping systems ...........................................................................................................20 2.2.2 Expansion of irrigation ..................................................................................................21 2.2.3 Trends in fertilizer use ....................................................................................................22 2.2.4 Trends in pesticide use ...................................................................................................25 2.2.5 Livestock production .....................................................................................................29 2.2.6 Aquaculture production ................................................................................................33 2.3 References .................................................................................................................................36 PART II: PRESSURE, STATE AND IMpacTS ...................................................... 39 CHAPTER 3. AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION SOURCES AND paTHWAYS .....................................41 3.1 Clarifying terms and concepts ...............................................................................................42 3.2 Types of pollutants and agricultural sources ......................................................................44 3.3 Pollution pathways .................................................................................................................47 3.4 References .................................................................................................................................50 CHAPTER 4. NUTRIENTS ...........................................................................................................53 4.1 Use of nutrients (N and P) in agriculture ............................................................................54 iv 4.1.1 Nitrogen from croplands ...............................................................................................56 4.1.2 Phosphorus from croplands ..........................................................................................58 4.1.3 Nutrients from livestock systems ................................................................................62 4.2 Nitrate and phosphate concentration in surface water and groundwater ....................63 4.2.1 Concentration of nutrients resulting in eutrophic lakes, reservoirs and coastal waters ...................................................................................................................66 4.3 Impacts on health and environment ....................................................................................67 4.3.1 Human health impacts ..................................................................................................67 4.3.2 Environmental impacts: eutrophication and hypoxic water ...................................68 4.4 References .................................................................................................................................72 CHAPTER 5. PESTICIDES ..........................................................................................................77 5.1 Pesticides and water pollution ..............................................................................................78 5.1.1 Pesticide consumption and production ......................................................................78