Symposium 2 Part 2: Food Production for a Growing World Population The Impact of Food Production on Soils and Groundwater Resources

• Published in: Journal of food science Vol. 69; no. 9
• Main Author: Bergström, L.F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2004
• ISSN: 0022-1147; 1750-3841
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.tb09943.x

Transition towards sustainable development is claimed as a common goal for the world society in many different documents. Within the agricultural sector, this transition is extremely urgent, since agricultural food production is fundamental to the survival of our civilization. Together with a rapidly growing world population, there are losses of arable land due to erosion and soil infertility caused by nonsustainable production methods. Along with such problems follow potential contamination of groundwater resources as well. Most of the nutrient and pesticide contamination of groundwater originates from agricultural soils. In this presentation, sound solutions to the major environmental issues of limiting contamination of soils and groundwater by modifying agricultural practices are discussed. The causes of pollution are briefly explained and existing measures for the reduction of agricultural non‐point‐source pollution of nutrients and pesticides are described, analyzed, and evaluated.