MADRID, JANUARY 6 (IPS) – There are far less reported consequences of human activities that don’t match Mother Nature’s rhythms. Such is the case, among many others, of the increasing salinization and ‘elevation’ of the world’s soils.
In fact, it is now estimated that more than 833 million hectares of land are saline globally (8.7% of the planet’s area). This means the land loses its ability to grow food and also increases its impact on water and its ability to filter pollution.
Soil salinization and degradation are major soil degradation processes that threaten ecosystems and are recognized as one of the most important problems at the global level for agricultural production, food security and sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions, speak UN on the occasion of 2021 World Earth Day.
Not only: soil salinization has serious consequences for soil functions, such as reduced agricultural productivity, water quality, soil biodiversity, soil erosion and reduced workability as a buffer and filter against pollutants.
Saline soils reduce both the plant’s ability to take in water and the availability of micronutrients, and they also concentrate ions that are toxic to plants and can degrade soil structure.
A threat to the global pantry
Soil salinity is a phenomenon that occurs naturally in arid environments, such as deserts, where intense evaporation and chronic water shortages often cause the earth to become too salty. Soils like these are less fertile because salt interferes with plants’ natural ability to draw water from the ground, explain Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
“But unsustainable human activities are exacerbating soil salinity. Excessive tilling, excessive use of fertilizers, inappropriate irrigation methods and use of poor quality water, deforestation or overexploitation of groundwater are the main causes of soil salinization due to caused by humans. ”
World Land Day 2021 and its campaign “Prevent soil salinization, increase soil productivity” aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing growing challenges in soil management, combating soil salinization, raising awareness of soil and encourage society to improve soil health.
According to FAO, these are the effects of saline soil:
Saline soils have a severe impact on a number of ecosystem services that soils normally provide, which are critical to supporting human life and biodiversity, leading to a range of consequences including :
- reduced agricultural productivity, water quality, soil biodiversity and increased soil erosion;
- reduced ability to act as a buffer and filter against contaminants;
- degraded soil structure;
- reduced functioning of ecological systems such as hydrological and nutrient cycles;
- reduce the ability of plants to take up water
- reduce soil fertility and availability of micronutrients.
Half of Uzbekistan’s land area is covered with salt
The Central Asian country is twice land-banned – meaning it’s surrounded by landlocked countries – and more than half of Uzbekistan’s land is saline, making productive farming more difficult. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report as an example.
Not only salt … also plastic
A new FAO December 2021 report finds that the land humans use to grow food is contaminated with “much greater amounts of plastic pollution”, posing an even greater threat to food security, people’s health and the environment.
Report – “Agroplastics assessment and their sustainability: a call to action” – is the first global report of its kind by FAO and contains some startling numbers.
According to data collated by experts from the UN agency:
– The agricultural value chain uses 12.5 million tons of plastic products each year.
– More than 37.3 million tons are used in food packaging. The crop and livestock production sectors are considered to be the largest users, accounting for 10.2 million tons per year, followed by fishing and aquaculture with 2.1 million tons and forestry with zero. 2 million tons.
– Asia is estimated to be the largest user of plastic in agriculture, accounting for almost half of global use. In the absence of viable alternatives, the demand for plastics in agriculture can only increase.
– According to industry experts, for example, global demand for greenhouse films, mulching and silage will increase by 50%, from 6.1 million tons in 2018 to 9.5 million tons in 2030.
Such trends make it necessary to balance the costs and benefits of plastic. A growing concern is microplastics, which have the potential to adversely affect human health. FAO warns: While there are gaps in the data, they should not be used as an excuse for inaction.
“This report serves as a major call for concerted and decisive action to facilitate good management practices and limit the harmful use of plastics across the agricultural sector.” FAO Deputy Director General Maria Helena Semedo said in the preface to the report.
The report was presented today at a virtual event in conjunction with World Earth Day marks each year on December 5.
Universal
“Plastics have been ubiquitous since their widespread introduction in the 1950s, and today it is difficult to imagine life without them.
In agriculture, plastic products greatly increase productivity, according to the report.
“For example, mulch is used to cover the soil to reduce weed growth, the need for pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation; membrane and mesh tunnels and greenhouses protect and promote plant growth, prolong crops and increase yields. ”
This is also the case with “coatings on fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds that control the rate of chemical release or improve germination; Plant guardians protect seedlings and young plants from animal damage and provide a microclimate that promotes growth. ”
Meanwhile, plastic products help reduce food loss and waste, while maintaining its nutritional quality across a multitude of value chains, thus improving food security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. , the report explains.
Billions of tons of plastic are not disposed of properly
The FAO says that of the approximately 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic produced until 2015, nearly 80 percent were not disposed of properly.
When in the natural environment, plastic can be harmful in a number of ways. The effects of large plastic items on marine fauna have been documented.
However, as these plastics begin to break down and degrade, their effects begin to work at the cellular level, affecting not only individual organisms but potentially entire systems. Ecological.
Microplastics (plastics less than 5mm in size) are thought to pose specific risks to animal health, but recent studies have detected traces of microplastics in human feces and placenta. . There is also evidence of much smaller maternal-to-fetal transmission of nanoplastics in mice.
While most scientific research on plastic pollution has focused on aquatic ecosystems, especially the oceans, FAO experts found that agricultural land is thought to receive larger amounts of microplastics. a lot of.
The report concludes: Since 93% of global agricultural activity takes place on land, there is clearly a need for further investigation in this area.
Need to know more?
Very little of the plastic we throw away every day is recycled or incinerated in waste-to-energy facilities. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the majority of them end up in landfills, where it can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into soil and water. alert that a third of all plastic waste ends up in soil or fresh water.
What’s more: more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year. It is estimated that a third of all plastic waste ends up in soil or fresh water, follow for researchers from Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB).
More than sea pollution
Most of this plastic breaks down into particles smaller than 5 mm, known as microplastics, and further breaks down into nanoparticles, which are less than 0.1 micrometer in size.
“In fact, terrestrial microplastic pollution is much higher than marine microplastic pollution – estimated to be 4 to 23 times more, depending on the environment. For example, wastewater is an important factor. in the distribution of microplastics.”
In addition, “80% to 90% of particles contained in wastewater, such as from textile fibers, remain in the sludge. The sewage sludge is then often applied to fields as fertilizer, which means several thousands of tons of microplastics end up in our soil every year.”
© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
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