1 - Industry and Products

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the industry and various chemical products and building blocks used in the manufacture of agrochemicals. The fertilizer, pesticide, and agricultural chemical industry sector is diverse. The justification for this industry is that as the world population increases, crop lands are increasingly strained and unable to meet the growing demand for food without employing some method of crop enhancement. There are generally believed to be five common practices capable of meeting the growing demand: increasing tilled acreage, improving plant strains, introducing or expanding irrigation, controlling pests by chemical or biological methods, and initiating or increasing fertilizer usage. The last two methods have created a large agrichemical industry which produces a wide variety of products designed to increase crop production and protect crops from disease and pests. Along with the benefits there have been increasingly negative impacts on the environment, various natural resources, and to human health.