Environmental risks associated with human agricultural activity

Abstract

One of the important factors influencing the environment is agro-industrial production, mainly agriculture, which is most characterized by physical and agrochemical degradation of the soil cover of Ukraine, which is expressed in the loss of humus and essential nutrients. The most threatening degradation process is the loss of humus, the content of which over the past 20 years has decreased by an average of 0.22% in absolute terms, and the balance of which is negative. The phosphorus-potassium regime of soils deteriorates every year. In the absence of almost complete liming of soils, the area of acid soils increases annually, which currently amounts to 9.5 million hectares. In addition, the article focuses on the risks arising from human agricultural activities — the use of chemicals to fertilize crops, protect crops from weeds, pests and diseases and which contain toxic substances that adversely affect the agroecosystem, and eventually trophic chains enter the human body and cause various diseases. One of the significant environmental risks in the regions of Ukraine, which were exposed to radionuclide pollution as a result of the Chernobyl accident, is the contamination of soils and forest gifts with radionuclides. Large livestock complexes are objects of increased environmental danger. As a result of violation of the technology of keeping animals and storing waste (manure, liquid secretions) nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients get into surface waters, pollute them and damage wetlands and coastal ecosystems. In addition to industrial agricultural production, the rural population also grows mostly fruits and vegetables on their own plots for their own needs. There are many factors in residential areas that pose environmental risks, namely: high density of domestic animals and poultry in small farms, which causes violations of the technology of keeping them, manure storage technology, technology of growing crops; inconsistency of placement of farm buildings on small areas of land; violation of the system of fertilization and protection of crops from pests and diseases. In addition to the factors, the sources of drinking water pollution on the territory of personal households have been identified: toilets, manures, compost pits, barns, garbage dumps, which are located in close proximity to the water supply source, which does not meet the minimum sanitary breaks for farm buildings.