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Effects of Agricultural Production on Water Quality

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Introduction:
Agriculture should be seen as an industry in the business of producing food and not as a natural system, and as in all industries it requires materials to be consumed in the production. If not all the materials are consumed in production they may become dispersed into the environment. This agricultural industry can be divided into two major areas, plant and animal production.
The production of plants requires large amounts of water, between 200 and 500 liters per kg of product, and high mineral content in the form of fertilizers. Each hectare of land gets an input of around 100 kg nitrogen, 16 kg phosphorus, and 100 kg potassium. The effects on the environment are determent on the amount used and the farmer’s skill in using the correct application timing and rates. What is not used in the plant production can be dispersed into the environment.
The biggest product of plant production is feed for the production of animals. In this process most of the plant products are processed on the field leaving no containment or control in the process.
This paper discusses the effects of agricultural production on water quality. This is caused as a result of pesticides and fertilizers used to enhanced production ending up in the water. The main focus will be on fertilizer, primarily nitrogen.
The Chemistry:
To reach the output needed to produce a product on the global level agriculture as many industries has gone to chemistry to improve their product. The use of

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