Title: Impact of Sustainable Agriculture and Farming Practices
Headings: Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable Agriculture
Overview
Priority Commodities
Sustainable pepper farming supports people and nature in Malaysian Borneo
Why It Matters
Impacts
Land Conversion
Pollution
Poverty
Water Consumption
Climate Change
What WWF Is Doing
Experts

Content: Pollution
Agriculture is the leading source of pollution in many countries. Pesticides, fertilizers and other toxic farm chemicals can poison fresh water, marine ecosystems, air and soil. They also can remain in the environment for generations. Many pesticides are suspected of disrupting the hormonal systems of people and wildlife. Fertilizer run-off impacts waterways and coral reefs. Poverty
Farming is the only viable livelihood option for three-quarters of the world's extremely poor people. Subsidies provided by U.S. and European governments to their agriculturalists encourage overproduction, which drives down world prices and forces many producers in developing countries to cut corners environmentally. Producers facing declining harvests from cleared lands expand into surrounding wild lands that are rich in biodiversity, resulting in a cycle of increasing poverty and biodiversity loss. Water Consumption
The agricultural sector consumes about 69 percent of the planet's fresh water. Without creative conservation measures in place, agricultural production consumes excessive water and degrades water quality.