Search results

AbstractThe paper describes the approach and methods used during a three‐year programme to improve river‐water quality in an area seriously affected by agricultural pollution.Low base‐flow river systems serving clay catchments exhibit flash characteristics which required long‐term permanent solutions to ensure improved river water quality under all weather conditions. The approach which was used needed to identify polluters and convince them (a) that effective remedies had to be found and implemented within a reasonable time scale, and (b) that there would be serious consequences of failure to undertake improvements. The initial contact with dischargers, the attitudes adopted and responses received are considered and discussed. Progress throughout each phase of the programme, the solutions used and the degree of improvement achieved are assessed. Legislative changes during the period of the programme, other factors influencing agricultural pollution of watercourses, and likely future implications of these, are discussed.The success of the programme resulted in the elimination of all major sources of agricultural pollution.

This report is part of a national overview of agricultural pollution in the Philippines, commissioned by the World Bank. The overview consists of three 'chapters' on the crops, livestock, and fisheries sub-sectors, and a summary report. This 'chapter' provides a broad national overview of: (a) the magnitude, impacts, and drivers of pollution related to the fisheries sector's development with a focus on aquaculture; (b) measures that have been taken by the public sector to manage or mitigate this pollution; and (c) existing knowledge gaps and directions for future research. This report was prepared on the basis of existing literature, recent analyses, and national and international statistics, as well as extensive interviews. It did not involve new primary research and did not attempt to cover pollution issues that arise in the broader aquaculture value chain, relating for instance to processing, packaging and transportation, feed processing, or veterinary drug factories.

This report is part of a national overview of agricultural pollution in the Philippines, commissioned by the World Bank. The overview consists of three 'chapters' on the crops, livestock, and fisheries sub-sectors, and a summary report. This 'chapter' provides a broad national overview of: (a) the magnitude, impacts, and drivers of pollution related to the fisheries sector's development with a focus on aquaculture; (b) measures that have been taken by the public sector to manage or mitigate this pollution; and (c) existing knowledge gaps and directions for future research. This report was prepared on the basis of existing literature, recent analyses, and national and international statistics, as well as extensive interviews. It did not involve new primary research and did not attempt to cover pollution issues that arise in the broader aquaculture value chain, relating for instance to processing, packaging and transportation, feed processing, or veterinary drug factories.

In emerging East Asia, agricultural output has expanded dramatically over recent decades, primarily as a result of successful efforts to stimulate yield growth. This achievement has increased the availability of food and raw materials in the region, drastically diminished hunger, and more generally provided solid ground for economic development. The intensification of agriculture that has made this possible, however, has also led to serious pollution problems that have adversely affected human and ecosystem health, as well as the productivity of agriculture itself. In the region that currently owes the largest proportion of deaths to the environment, agriculture is often portrayed as a victim of industrial and urban pollution, and this is indeed the case. Yet agriculture is taking a growing toll on economic resources and sometimes becoming a victim of its own success. In parts of China, Vietnam, and the Philippines—the countries studied in The Challenge of Agricultural Pollution—this pattern of highly productive yet highly polluting agriculture has been unfolding with consequences that remain poorly understood. With large numbers of pollutants and sources, agricultural pollution is often undetected and unmeasured. When assessments do occur, they tend to take place within technical silos, and so the different ecological and socioeconomic risks are seldom considered as a whole, while some escape study entirely. However, when agricultural pollution is considered in its entirety, both the significance of its impacts and the relative neglect of them become clear. Meanwhile, growing recognition that a "pollute now, treat later" approach is unsustainable—from both a human health and an agroindustry perspective—has led public and private sector actors to seek solutions to this problem. Yet public intervention has tended to be more reactive than preventive and often inadequate in scale. In some instances, the implementation of sound pollution control programs has also been confronted with incentive structures that do not rank environmental outcomes prominently. Significant potential does exist, however, to reduce the footprint of farms through existing technical solutions, and with adequate and well-crafted government support, its realization is well within reach.

ABSTRACTThis study documents the development of a link between a geographical information system (GIS) and a non‐point source pollution model. The GIS ARC/INFO was linked to the agricultural non‐point source pollution model and ORACLE data sources. Application of the system is demonstrated using the Bedford‐Ouse catchment as a suitable case study. Water quality impacts are predicted from source data describing topography, soils, land use and river network. The model results were in agreement with observed nitrate concentrations at the catchment outlet, and more appropriate data sources are considered to be the main priority for improving model predictive ability. Management scenarios were established to assess the impact of changing agricultural management practices on predicted water quality. The approach has significant potential for the management of agricultural pollution in the UK.

Este libro, que en español se podría llamar La política ambiental para el control de la contaminación agrícola, analiza el problema que plantean las descargas no puntuales de la agricultura (DNPA)1 sobre los cuerpos de agua, tema complejo, escasamente analizado desde la perspectiva económica y prácticamente ausente de la agenda de investigación en nuestro país.