Chemical Approaches to Sustainable Agric

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture seeks to maintain crop productivity while conserving soil, water,
biodiversity, and other natural resources. Chemistry contributes to this objective through
improved nutrient management, soil amendments, safer crop-protection products,
controlled-release formulations, water-quality management, carbon management, and
resource-efficient production systems. Chemical approaches can improve nutrient-use
efficiency and reduce losses when they are matched to crop requirements and local soil
conditions. At the same time, excessive or inappropriate chemical inputs can contribute to
soil degradation, water pollution, salinity, acidification, and ecological disruption. This
paper examines nine major dimensions of chemical approaches to sustainable agriculture,
including soil chemistry, fertilizers, micronutrients, crop-protection chemistry,
controlled-release inputs, soil amendments, water management, precision agriculture, and
future green-chemistry strategies.