What are the main environmental impacts of modern farming?

Modern, conventional agriculture has significant and widespread environmental impacts. Its focus on maximizing output has come at a considerable ecological cost.

• Water Pollution: The excessive use of synthetic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers leads to nutrient runoff. These chemicals wash into rivers and lakes, causing eutrophication (massive algal blooms) that deplete oxygen and create "dead zones," killing fish and other aquatic life. Pesticides also contaminate groundwater and surface water.
• Soil Degradation: Practices like intensive tilling (ploughing) and monoculture (planting the same crop year after year) leave the soil bare and exposed. This leads to massive soil erosion, loss of organic matter, and destruction of the soil's microbial biome, turning fertile topsoil into infertile dirt.
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gases. This includes nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas released from nitrogen fertilizers; methane (CH₄) from livestock; and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the heavy machinery (tractors, combines) that run on fossil fuels.
• Biodiversity Loss: Monoculture creates a "food desert" for wildlife and pollinators like bees. The widespread use of pesticides and herbicides kills not only pests but also beneficial insects, soil organisms, and native plants, leading to a dramatic decline in biodiversity.
• High Water Consumption: Modern agriculture accounts for ~70% of global freshwater withdrawals, often for inefficient irrigation methods that deplete local aquifers and rivers.