Strategies To Mitigate Air Pollution In Agriculture

Air pollution is a pressing issue that affects both urban and rural areas, with agricultural activities being a significant contributor. The impact of air pollution on agriculture is significant, threatening crop yields and the global food supply. To address this challenge, farmers are adopting sustainable practices and technologies to minimize their impact on air pollution and protect the environment. This includes implementing integrated pest management, improving soil management, adopting genetic modifications, and utilizing water conservation techniques. Additionally, governments and organizations, such as the European Commission and the US EPA, are developing policies and initiatives to support farmers in reducing agricultural air pollution and promoting sustainable agricultural systems.

Sustainable practices

Sustainable agricultural practices are essential to reducing air pollution and mitigating the effects of climate change. Here are some ways farmers can adopt more sustainable practices to improve air quality:

Crop Rotation and Diversity: Instead of monoculture farming, farmers can practice crop rotation and keep crops diverse. This helps improve soil health, reduce the need for fertilisers, and protect air quality by lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Soil Management: Good soil management involves focusing on soil health, reducing tillage, and using cover crops. Cover crops, such as legumes and grass-legume mixes, improve soil quality, increase yield, and protect air quality.

Integrated Pest Management: By adopting integrated pest management practices, farmers can reduce the reliance on chemical pesticides and herbicides, which are major sources of air and soil pollution.

Reducing Livestock Farming: Ruminant animals, such as cows and sheep, produce substantial volumes of greenhouse gases and consume vast amounts of crops and water. By cultivating more land and rearing fewer livestock, farmers can reduce the environmental burden.

Agroforestry: Agroforestry is a sustainable practice that involves growing crops and raising livestock within an existing forest or a group of plants that mimic a forest. This creates a high-biodiversity ecosystem, increases soil fertility and moisture, and helps fight food insecurity.

Water Conservation: With the growing global demand for water, efficient water conservation practices are crucial. Farmers can adopt new technologies and management techniques to reduce water usage and improve water sustainability.

Carbon Markets: Corn farmers can participate in agricultural carbon markets to earn carbon credits by using climate-friendly sustainable farming methods, such as no-till farming.

By implementing these sustainable practices, farmers can play a crucial role in reducing agricultural air pollution and contributing to a healthier environment and a more sustainable food system.

Reducing diesel emissions

Diesel emissions from agricultural equipment can have a significant impact on the health of people working on and living near farms and construction sites. Older diesel engines, which are not subject to EPA's emissions standards for new engines, can remain in operation for 30 years or more and continue to emit harmful pollutants.

To reduce diesel emissions, the EPA offers funding for projects that aim to reduce emissions from existing diesel engines. The EPA Clean Agriculture initiative helps farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses reduce emissions from older diesel engines currently in use. The EPA also provides information on strategies for reducing emissions from older engines, including idle-reduction practices that save money and fuel while reducing emissions.

Farmers can also adopt renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower to power their machinery, equipment, and irrigation systems, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels like diesel. Additionally, they can invest in energy-efficient machinery and equipment to further reduce their carbon footprint and cut costs.

The industry is also embracing new technologies, such as Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), and Particulate Matter Filters (PMF), which can help reduce emissions. For example, tractors and other machines fitted with PMF undergo a 'hot' active regeneration at regular intervals, typically every 500 operating hours. Using specialized engine oils, such as Texaco Delo 600 ADF with OMNIMAX™, can also help reduce soot build-up in diesel PMFs, protecting both the engine and the emissions system.

By implementing these measures, the agriculture industry can play a crucial role in reducing air pollution and mitigating its impact on the environment and human health.

Integrated pest management

IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. The IPM approach can be applied to both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, such as the home, garden, and workplace.

IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options, including the judicious use of pesticides. In agriculture, farmers reduce these risks through planting pest-resistant hybrids, using seed treatments to protect seeds and young plants, scouting after crops emerge to know which pests are in the field and if they will threaten yields, using soil-applied insecticides at planting to control certain insects, planting crops early during the recommended planting window and rotating crops, and controlling weeds early during the season. These practices help reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides.

IPM programs work to monitor and identify pests accurately, so appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds. Once monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control is required, and preventive methods are no longer effective or available, IPM programs then evaluate the proper control method for effectiveness and risk. Effective, less risky pest controls are chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as pheromones to disrupt pest mating, or mechanical control, such as trapping or weeding. While one of the goals of IPM is to reduce chemical applications, there are circumstances where the most cost-effective and least damaging method for control involves pesticides. In these cases, the timing and amount applied are critical in reducing non-target species' impact and potential environmental degradation.

Soil management

Agriculture is a significant source of air pollution, but sustainable farming practices can help reduce this. One such practice is good soil management, which involves several approaches, including keeping crops diverse, rotating them, focusing on soil health, and reducing tillage.

Crop diversity and rotation are important for maintaining soil health and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers, which can lead to environmental problems such as water pollution and soil erosion. By keeping a careful eye on soil health, farmers can reduce the amount of fertilizer they use, which helps protect air quality and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

One way to improve soil health is through the use of cover crops, which can loosen compacted soil, add nitrogen, conserve moisture, and keep weeds at bay, reducing the need for herbicides. Cover crops can also be used to feed livestock, and they are a long-term investment to increase yield while protecting air quality. For corn farmers, cover crops may include legumes and grass-legume mixes.

Another way to reduce air pollution through soil management is to adopt nutrient management techniques. Farmers can improve their practices by applying nutrients (fertilizer and manure) in the right amount, at the right time of year, with the right method, and in the right place. This can help reduce nutrient losses from farm operations, as excess nitrogen and phosphorus can be washed from fields into waterways, negatively impacting air and water quality.

Soil testing and sensors can also help farmers understand the specific nutrient needs of their crops, allowing them to reduce the amount of chemicals and water used, and thus minimizing pollution. In Nebraska, farmers can participate in Aquamart, a water conservation initiative that uses precision technologies to improve water management and on-farm profitability.

Water conservation

One way to conserve water is by utilizing technology such as soil moisture monitors, which help farmers determine the precise amount of water their crops require. Variable rate irrigation allows farmers to apply water only to specific sections of their fields that need it, reducing overall water usage. For example, farmers in Nebraska can participate in Aquamart, a farmer-led initiative that utilizes networking, precision technologies, and best practices to improve water management and profitability.

Crop rotation is another essential aspect of water conservation. By rotating crops, farmers can maintain soil health, reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers, and minimize environmental issues such as water pollution and soil erosion. Additionally, genetic modifications have led to the development of crops that require less water for optimal growth, such as GMO corn, which is more resistant to pests, diseases, and weeds, resulting in reduced pesticide and herbicide usage.

Implementing conservation tillage practices can also help. By reducing the frequency and intensity of tilling, farmers can improve soil health, minimize erosion, and decrease the chances of nutrients reaching waterways through runoff. Properly managing livestock access to streams is another effective strategy. Installing fences along water bodies can help restore stream banks and prevent excess nutrients from entering the water, thereby conserving water resources.

Frequently asked questions