| Abstract: | Agriculture, including crop growing, livestock breeding, and fish farming, is essential for human survival. In agricultural practices, fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, clenbuterol, and chemical additives are often used in addition to water, and their improper use can adversely impact the quality of surrounding water bodies. To be more specific, using pesticides and fertilizers increases crop production, posing a potential threat to the aquatic environment. The livestock sector’s growth increases the amount of organic loading from animal waste, causing the eutrophication and deterioration of aquatic ecosystems. Besides the residue of forage, fish excreta is also generated, which may impair the quality of receiving water bodies. Moreover, the use of antibiotics, fungicides, and anti-fouling agents are often adopted to increase production, which may contribute to downstream ecosystem contamination. Overall, improper agricultural activities can increase the concentration of nutrients, fecal coliforms, and sediment loads in water.
Sustainable planning for water resources is a challenging task, especially for countries experiencing strong economic growth and with high population densities. Groundwater is vital to supplement drinking and irrigation waters in semi-arid regions, and therefore, a poor water quality may lead to severe health issues. Assuring the water quality in agricultural areas, especially for rice cultivation, is also a challenge. Water quality is a critical factor impacting the health of human and all living organisms. Monitoring water quality is important for effective water management and achieving sustainable development. Surface water quality is particularly delicate and susceptible to climate change in arid or sub-arid regions, where anthropogenic activities such as industrial and agricultural practices determine the water quality. Water pollution from agriculture directly impacts human health, and we must implement smart agriculture practices for environmental sustainability, facilitate nutrient cycles of agroecosystems, enhance pollution control for agriculture, and conduct assessments and strategies for assuring agroecosystem sustainability. Conducting more research is essential to building a linkage between agriculture practices and sustainable agroecosystems to achieve the ultimate goal of environmental sustainability. |
