Human activities such as oil spills and toxic waste dumping have significantly affected agricultural production and overall food supply. Surface oil spills from petroleum products have a potential to contaminate both soil and water. The most notable effects of oil spillage on agricultural soil include crop failure, poor crop yielding, and stunted crop growth. Oil spillage also increases soil toxicity and temperature thereby affecting the fertility of agricultural land (Conway & Pretty, 2013). Research studies have shown that oil compounds bio-accumulate in food crops thereby reducing the ascorbic content of vegetables and crude protein content in cassavas. Oil spillage, therefore, results in a decrease in food production, which in turn leads to a significant reduction in the food supply and household food security.
Dumping of toxic wastes that result from industrial and manufacturing processes significantly have a hazardous impact on soil and overall agricultural production. Such wastes change soil properties and contribute to deteriorating soil quality. Toxic wastes increase soil pH and a heavy soil concentration of metals, such as copper, chromium, and lead (Conway & Pretty, 2013). Absorption of such metals by plant root system retards growth and consequently reduces plant vigor by hindering their normal metabolism. The overall effect is a decline in food production and food supply to humans.
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Global warming which has increased as a result of human activities, such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels significantly affects food production. An increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide destroys the ozone layer and causes the earth’s surface temperatures to increase. According to Conway and Pretty (2013), global warming results in unpredictable climate changes such as hot drought spells, too much rainfall, and flooding. Such weather extremes have a significant effect on agricultural production and crop yields. Various research studies have shown that climate change and weather extremes affect the quality and quantity of global food production and supply. At times, climate change increases the length of growing seasons, which in turn damages crops.
Reference
Conway, G. R., & Pretty, J. N. (2013). Unwelcome harvest: Agriculture and pollution. Routledge.
