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Damaged Environment Badly Hits Agriculture

Environmentalists have reasoned desertification as one of the terrific nightmares so far which is the sole destroyer of the soil surface. This is happening with the spread of desert-like conditions in drier regions and heavy erosion in more humid areas.

by Mohammad Ahsan Kabir
IF the present trends con tinue. the world in the year 2000 will be more crowded, more polluted and less stable ecologically. As a result, for hundreds of millions of the desperately poor, the outlook for food and other necessities of life will be no better. '
Perhaps this can be attributed to the worst environmental degradation during the recent years, which in the long run will accelerate the deterioration and loss of the resources essential for agriculture.
The outstanding effects of continued environmental degradation may be listed as sol) erosion, loss of nutnents and compaction of soils, crop damage due to increasing air and water pollution, loss of high quality cropland to urban development and regional water shortages caused by Irrigation where forest losses arc severe and the earth can no longer absorb, store, and regulate the discharge of water. Besides, there are some other reasons which may slightly affect the overall situation like increasing salinization of both Irrigated land and water used for Irrigation, and extinction of
local and wild crop strains needed by plant braider for Improving cultivated varieties.
Environmentalists have reasoned desertification as one of the terrific nightmares so far which is the sole destroyer of the soil surface. This Is happening with the spread of
woody plants for fuel ensures a variety of ecological changes that destroy the cover of vegetation and fertile soil.
At present world’s desert area stretches about some 800 million hectare and would expand by almost 20 percent by 2000 as an increasing number
desert-like conditions In drier regions and heavy erosion in more humid areas.
At present at around six million hectares a year are being desertified including 3.2 million hectares of rangeland. 2.5 million hectares of ratnfed cropland and 125 thousand hectares of irrigated farmland
Environmentalists predict that desertification due to overgrazing, destructive cropping practices and use of
oi people In the world s drier regions put more pressure on the land to meet their needs for livestock range, cropland and fuel wood. According to the United Nations, about two billion hectares of land arc Identified as -high" or "very high" risk areas.
Losses due to improper irrigation. reduced fallow’ periods. cultivation of steep and marginal lands, and reduced vegetative cover can be ex-
pected to accelerate the process. especially in North and Central Africa, the humid and high-altitude portions of Latin America, and much of South Asia. In addition, the increased burning of dung and crop wastes for domestic fuel will deprive the soil of nutrients and degrade the soil s ability to hold moisture by reducing its organic content.
In the Industrialised regions. soil losses arc more severe as they arc frequently using chemical fertilizer, herbicide. and pesticides which In the long run lead to losses of solid organic matter, reducing the capacity of the soil to retain moisture.
Damage to and loss of irrigated lands arc vital reasons for devastating environmental consequences on agriculture. It is too tough indeed to maintain the irrigated lands long and about half of the world's Irrigated land has already been damam-d to some extent by salinity, alkalinity, and water logging. However, it can be prevented if careful consldera tion of soil and attention to drainage, maintenance and appropriate water-saving designs are ensured properly.