Food and the environment

In less developed countries there are chronic food shortages and scarcity of arable land and water, coupled with increasing population. Widespread irrigation permits more intensive agriculture, but fertility is decreased and outbreaks of fluorosis and arsenic poisoning have occurred. Use of modern f...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental management and health 1995-08, Vol.6 (3), p.4-6
Main Authors: Bender, A.E, Bender, D.A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Agrochemicals
Diseases
Environment
Green issues
Pollution
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In less developed countries there are chronic food shortages and scarcity of arable land and water, coupled with increasing population. Widespread irrigation permits more intensive agriculture, but fertility is decreased and outbreaks of fluorosis and arsenic poisoning have occurred. Use of modern fertilizers causes soil mineral deficiency, including that of zinc. Iodine deficiency has caused outbreaks of goitre. Increased fertilizer use leads to an unacceptably high concentration of nutrients and potential toxins in rivers and lakes. Industrial effluent also poses a serious problem.
ISSN:0956-6163
1758-7085
DOI:10.1108/09566169510090733