How do farming practices affect our waterways?

Farming practices are one of the important human impacts on the water cycle. As farming changes to feed a growing population, what does this mean for water quality, ecology and flood risk?

As the global population continues to grow, so does the demand for food production. This has led to an increase in the area of land used for agriculture. Food production can take the form of arable farming — growing crops — or pastoral farming — rearing cattle and other animals.

Agriculture can have an impact on both the quantity and quality of water in local waterways. This in turn can affect the value of these waterways for water resources, and can have an impact on aquatic ecology. The nature of these impacts depends on environmental factors, such as climate and soil type, but also on anthropogenic factors related to how the land is managed. This Water and Carbon Update reviews some common agricultural practices, and their impacts on hydrological systems.