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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 5/13 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:56:01.016896+00:00 | kb-cron |
Agriculture, specifically farming, remains a hazardous industry, and farmers worldwide remain at high risk of work-related injuries, lung disease, noise-induced hearing loss, skin diseases, as well as certain cancers related to chemical use and prolonged sun exposure. On industrialized farms, injuries frequently involve the use of agricultural machinery, and a common cause of fatal agricultural injuries in developed countries is tractor rollovers. Pesticides and other chemicals used in farming can be hazardous to worker health, and workers exposed to pesticides may experience illness or have children with birth defects. As an industry in which families commonly share in work and live on the farm itself, entire families can be at risk for injuries, illness, and death. Ages 0–6 may be an especially vulnerable population in agriculture; common causes of fatal injuries among young farm workers include drowning, machinery and motor accidents, including with all-terrain vehicles. Occupational fatality data from the last decade indicate that, when looking at all industries, agriculture had the leading number of work-related deaths for youth. Within this industry, youth between the ages of 10 and 15 suffered the most non-fatal work-related injuries. While farming is hazardous, studies have looked at the fact that there are also many benefits to growing up and living on a farm. The International Labor Organization considers agriculture "one of the most hazardous of all economic sectors". It estimates that the annual work-related death toll among agricultural employees is at least 170,000, twice the average rate of other jobs. In addition, incidences of death, injury and illness related to agricultural activities often go unreported. The organization has developed the Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001, which covers the range of risks in the agriculture occupation, the prevention of these risks and the role that individuals and organizations engaged in agriculture should play. In the United States, agriculture has been identified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as a priority industry sector in the National Occupational Research Agenda to identify and provide intervention strategies for occupational health and safety issues. In the European Union, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has issued guidelines on implementing health and safety directives in agriculture, livestock farming, horticulture, and forestry. The Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA) also holds a yearly summit to discuss safety.
=== Environmental impact === Extending over 4.8 billion ha in 2025 – the equivalent of one-third of the Earth’s land surface – agriculture has a greater impact on land and water resources compared with any other economic sector. Pressure on land, soil and water resources has seriously compromised the performance and future prospects of agriculture, resulting in further loss of productive land and reduced water availability for farming and other forms of agricultural production. Agricultural expansion drives deforestation and is one of the primary causes of the degradation of carbon-rich ecosystems such as peatlands. An estimated 64% of agricultural land is at risk of pesticide pollution, which damages biodiversity by destroying pollinators, harms soil microbiota and makes agrifood systems less resilient to pests, pathogens and climate change. Accounting for 72% of global freshwater withdrawals, a figure predicted to rise further in the future, agriculture contributes to and is increasingly affected by water scarcity. Overexploitation of groundwater and seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers is widespread, with major implications for food security.
== Production ==
Overall production varies by country as listed.
=== Crop cultivation systems ===
Cropping systems vary among farms depending on the available resources and constraints; geography and climate of the farm; government policy; economic, social and political pressures; and the philosophy and culture of the farmer. Shifting cultivation (or slash and burn) is a system in which forests are burnt, releasing nutrients to support cultivation of annual and then perennial crops for a period of several years. Then the plot is left fallow to regrow forest, and the farmer moves to a new plot, returning after many more years (10–20). This fallow period is shortened if population density grows, requiring the input of nutrients (fertilizer or manure) and some manual pest control. Annual cultivation is the next phase of intensity in which there is no fallow period. This requires even greater nutrient and pest control inputs.
Further industrialization led to the use of monocultures, when one cultivar is planted on a large acreage. Because of the low biodiversity, nutrient use is uniform and pests tend to build up, necessitating the greater use of pesticides and fertilizers. Multiple cropping, in which several crops are grown sequentially in one year, and intercropping, when several crops are grown at the same time, are other kinds of annual cropping systems known as polycultures. In subtropical and arid environments, the timing and extent of agriculture may be limited by rainfall, either not allowing multiple annual crops in a year, or requiring irrigation. In all of these environments perennial crops are grown (coffee, chocolate) and systems are practiced such as agroforestry. In temperate environments, where ecosystems were predominantly grassland or prairie, highly productive annual farming is the dominant agricultural system. Important categories of food crops include cereals, legumes, forage, fruits and vegetables. Natural fibers include cotton, wool, hemp, silk and flax. Specific crops are cultivated in distinct growing regions throughout the world. Production is listed in millions of metric tons, based on FAO estimates.
=== Livestock production systems ===