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Chemical reactions Reading and listening
Modern agriculture Normally, when hearing the term “pollution” the first thing that comes to our minds is releasing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere or toxic fluids in rivers, seas and oceans. However, we rarely think of soil pollution. Modern agriculture, based on ongoing production models (to produce more in less time and at less cost), has become a vicious cycle. Since the invention and broad use of fertilizers by the end of the 19th century, global agriculture focused on monocrop rather than polycrop farming, and on intensive rather than extensive exploitation. This new agricultural trend has meant that, year after year, higher pollution levels in the soil and in groundwater are measured. The overuse of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides has given rise to less productive farming soils, increasing the dependence of the agricultural sector on the industrial chemistry.
1 Why do you think that we give more importance to greenhouse gases or toxic fluids rather than soil pollution? 2 Why do we want to produce more crops in less time? 3 What are fertilizers? 4 Where does the water that you drink come from? 5 What do you think is the difference between herbicides and pesticides?
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