Pests are increasingly resistant to chemicals.
At current rates of soil erosion, which is often caused by intensive agriculture, we will lose half of the world's fertile topsoil within 30 years. Top of page Food and the environment - the bigger picture The industrial farm Industrial agriculture means large farms, making heavy use of fertilisers, pesticides and water, growing few crop varieties, often harvested by a small mechanised workforce. This model has allowed us to increase yields in the past 50 years, but, given the impact it has on the environment, it cannot be sustained much longer. Creating large fields suitable for machines by removing trees and hedgerows has accelerated soil erosion. The overuse of pesticides has rendered them increasingly ineffective against pests, but more dangerous to people and the environment.