Soil erosionWhen natural vegetation is cleared and when farmland is ploughed, the exposed topsoil is often blown away by wind or washed away by rain. Soil carried off in rain or irrigation water can lead to sedimentation of rivers, lakes and coastal areas. Sedimentation causes serious damage to freshwater and marine habitats, as well as the local communities that depend on on these habitats. It is estimated that since 1960, one-third of the world’s arable land has been lost through erosion and other degradation and many million hectares are lost each year. Growing agriculture intensity rapidly exhausts farmland that in many less-developed areas are abandoned when producers move to new, more-productive land. Eo geo-information services can monitor exposed soil areas and the spread of soil and dust through storms and flooding as well as monitoring sediment build-up in rivers and oceans. PollutionThe use of pesticides, fertilizers and other agrochemicals has increased hugely since the 1950s. Inappropriate water management and irrigation technology means that fertilizers and pesticides run-off from fields to adjacent rivers and lakes and contaminate groundwater sources. These chemicals eventually end up in the marine environment too. Their presence in freshwater and marine areas alters the nutrient system, and in consequence the species composition of specific ecosystems. The most dramatic effect is eutrophication – resulting in an explosive growth of algae due to excess nutrients which depletes water of dissolved oxygen, and can kill fish and other aquatic life. Optimizing the use of both fertilizers and pesticides can greatly improve the situation. EO geo-information services can monitor crop growth and health to support the best use of pesticides and fertilizers. They can improve the management of river basins through monitoring of water flows and drainage and detect the presence of algal blooms to assist in management practices. Climate ChangeFarming practices, livestock, and clearing of land for agriculture are significant contributors to the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. EO geo-information services can provide global scale monitoring of farming impacts on climate. |