What is depletion of natural resource?

Wikifarmer

Editorial team

1 min read
What is depletion of natural resource?

Resource depletion is the consumption of natural resources faster than they can recover. In agriculture, resources are the soil's fertility, groundwater reserves, wildlife (fauna and flora), and different species of plants, animals, insects and microorganisms. Intensive farming, deforestation of lands, usage of pesticides, and consecutive plantings result in resource depletion.

After the agricultural revolution, soil erosion and degradation have increased, groundwater reserves have decreased, and water quality has dropped because of the salinity and ion concentration. Human activity has displaced and confined the wildlife, decreasing the biodiversity due to deforestation, machine noises, hunting, etc. A major ally of the farmers is the beneficial organisms such as bees and predatory insects. Due to pesticide use, those insect populations are compressed, leading to the explosion of harmful insects and mites and the higher need for spraying with chemicals.