Agriculture has a plastic problem and it’s threatening the future of food
Agriculture has a plastic problem and it’s threatening the future of food
Sridhar Jayagouda, a young farmer in Alarwada village on the outskirts of Belagavi city in Karnataka, is preparing for the monsoon crop of paddy by clearing beds of capsicum his family recently harvested. Once the plants are uprooted, he pulls out thin films of plastic covering the raised soil beds....
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Plasticulture, the application of synthetic polymer-based technologies in agriculture, has found wide ranging uses, making it an integral part of food production today.
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Agricultural plastics are single-use or short-lived, and have been found to be a major source of micro and nanoplastics in the soil, which can have a long term impact on our health and environment.
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Experts suggest that it is time to recognise the chemical and ecotoxicological aspects of agri plastics and developed more sustainable alternatives.
It's a huge problem. We have a small homestead/market garden and eliminating plastic is very difficult. We do what we can, no plastic mulch, no plastic trays or pots, no synthetic fertilizers, rainwater for watering etc. but all our water collection, greenhouse plastic, water systems etc are all plastic based.