The excessive use of chemical fertilizers

People’s health

Soil is a very important and sensitive resource of a nation. In order to meet increasing public needs and to promote crop products, the individuals use high inputs of chemicals in the soil that have a negative impact on health as follows.

• The dust of chemical fertilizers pollutes the air during application in the field and creates problems while taking a breath, skin and eye irritation etc.
• Although nitrogen fertilizer contributes substantially to yield enhancement, excessive use of this manure has posed serious threats to human health. The rate of nitrogen fertilizers application has a close relationship with nitrate accumulation in the surrounding environment, groundwater, as well as leafy and root vegetables. Consumption of diets having high nitrate contents has contributed to endogenous nitrosation, which could lead to various kinds of human cancers.

Soil degradation

• Soil is very important in order to meet increasing public needs and to promote crop products, the use of high inputs of chemicals in the soil in the form of fertilisers helped to achieve the target to a certain stage. However, the decrease in crop yield took place despite the application of fertilizer. The toxic chemicals influence the life of beneficial soil microorganisms, which are indeed responsible for maintaining soil fertility.
• Soil contamination is responsible for decreasing soil biodiversity and fertility and hence, decreasing soil health by obstructing the breakdown of soil organic matter and altering nutrient cycling.

Environment

• Agrochemicals, especially chemical fertilizers, play a critical role in climate change, as they produce GHGs and reactive nitrogen (Nr) into the environment, up to 24% of the global GHG emission accounted from agricultural sectors.
• When these chemicals are applied in ideal conditions, plants use only up to 50% of the N fertilizer applied, 2-20% gets volatilized, 15-25% reacts with organic compounds in the clay soil and the remaining 2-10% interfere with surface and groundwater.
• Over-fertilization effects reduce the biodiversity resulting from ammonia deposition in forests and waters.

Economic

• Egypt is considered to be a heavy user of chemical fertilizers especially nitrogen followed by phosphorus and potassium. Exports of chemical products and fertilisers reached $5.238 billion in 2020.
• The farmers suffer from the high costs of this type of fertilizer.