Agricultural waste, which includes both natural (organic) and non-natural

wastes, is a
general term used to describe waste produced on a farm through various farming
activities.
These activities can include but are not limited to dairy farming, horticulture, seed
growing,
livestock breeding, grazing land, market gardens, nursery plots, and even
woodlands.
Agricultural and food industry residues, refuse and wastes constitute a significant
proportion
of world wide agricultural productivity. t has variously been estimated that these
wastes can
account for over !"# of world wide agricultural productivity. The boundaries
to
accommodate agricultural waste derived from animal agriculture and farming
activities are
identified in this book. $%amples will be provided of how animal agriculture
and various
practices adopted at farm-scale impact on the environment. &hen discharged
to the
environment, agricultural wastes can be both beneficial and detrimental to living
matter and
the book will therefore also address the pros and cons of waste derived from
animal
agriculture in today's environment. (iven agricultural wastes are not restricted to a
particular
location, but rather are distributed widely, their effect on natural resources such as
surface and
ground waters, soil and crops, as well as human health, will also be addressed.
)hapter * - Agricultural waste, which includes both natural (organic) and
non-natural
wastes, is a general term used to describe waste produced on a farm through various
farming
activities. These activities can include but are not limited to dairy farming,
horticulture, seed
growing, livestock breeding, grazing land, market gardens, nursery plots, and even
woodlands
that are used as ancillary to the use of the land for other agricultural
purposes. (iven
+agricultural waste' encompasses such a broad class of biodegradable and non-
biodegradable
components, the focus of this chapter is first to identify and narrow down the
boundaries to
accommodate agricultural waste derived from animal agriculture and farming
activities.
$%amples are provided of how animal agriculture and various practices adopted at
farm-scale
impact on the environment. &hen discharged to the environment, agricultural wastes
can be
both beneficial and detrimental to living matter, and the review therefore also
addresses the
pros and cons of waste derived from animal agriculture in today's
environment. (iven
agricultural wastes are not restricted to a particular location, but rather are
distributed widely,
their effect on natural resources such as surface and ground waters, soil and crops, as
well as
human health, are addressed.
)hapter , - The animal sector of agriculture has undergone ma-or changes in
the last
several decades. organizational changes within the industry to enhance economic
efficiency
have resulted in larger confined production facilities that often are
geographically