Topsoil Erosion
Intensive agriculture also results in topsoil erosion. In addition to losses in arable land, erosion washes vast amounts of silt into bodies of water, damaging plant and animal life. Erosion increases the amount of dust, which carries infectious diseases and costs nations billions of dollars each year in productivity losses. Nutrients lost to erosion must be replaced, usually by chemical fertilizers. Excesses in phosphorus, potassium and, especially, nitrogen reduce water quality, reduce biodiversity, and diminish the availability and quality of the soil as demand for food and agricultural products continue to increase.
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