Contents

I. Executive Summary
II. Introduction
III. General Concept of Chemical Fertilizers Use
IV. Global Trend of Chemical Fertilizer Used
V. Fertilizers effect on human being and environment
A. Human Beings
B. Productivity Change
C. Ground Water Damage
VI. Chemical Fertilizers Impact on Soil Fertility
A. Classification of the toxicity of Chemical fertilizers Use
VII. Method of Reducing Chemical Fertilizer Use on Irrigated Land
A. Cambodia Profile on chemical Fertilizers Use
B. Soil Classification in Cambodia

Abbreviation
ADB Asian Development Bank
APFED ASIA-PACIFIC FORUM FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
CARDI Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute
CDRI Cambodia Development Resource Institute
CEDAC Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture
DEFAR Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency
IPM Integrated Pest Management
List of Table
Table 1: Fertilizer Use in Sub-Saharan Africa Compared to Other Regions
List of Figure
Figure 1: Pesticide Classification

I. Executive Summary
This article will provide briefing on the negative impacts of using fertilizers on farmer agriculture land which causes the
degradation of the surface land. . The Concept of chemical fertilizers commenced during the Green Revolution, when the
demands for agricultural goods, from the population, increased. As well, land is not only used for agriculture fields but is also
inter-related to other sources which relying on land resources.

Fertilizers have been used for a long time in agriculture land, since the old era. Currently, because of the high consumption of
chemical fertilizers used to meet the human demand, degradation to the land is occurring. The main objective for applying
pesticides to agriculture land is to protect the productivity of the crops and also balance the yield in farmers agricultural land.
On the other hand, the impacts of chemicals are long-term persistent and also long-period impacts to the agricultural land and
also the predominant cause of soil degradation.

Today, around 8.5 millions in among of 10 millions of Cambodian people living relying on the natural resources, which
including land resources for planting rice products which support the livelihoods of the whole nation. About 8 million
Cambodian people rely only on agriculture. Depend on the serious problems with land and soil degradation; researchers are
trying to find the best solution for coping with those issues. Along the way, using Integrated Pest Management, combining
chemical fertilizers and natural fertilizers together in order to reduce the pollution potential of chemical fertilizers. Opt for one
chemical fertilizer which has a lower effect and short-term impact on the environment, trying to reduce fertilizers by opting for
one product instead of several of chemical fertilizers with the same effects.

II. Introduction
In general, land is regarded as a natural resource which has many benefits for human beings while as the same time provides
a habitat for many living organisms (Pierre, 1991). However currently, the behavior of land fertilizer has been changed due to
 the increase in human beings or the increasing population which leads to a higher demand of production. Agriculture production
was regarded as a main target for human needs. This means that the increase of rice product has to meet the human need of the
fast-growth population (Pierre A & Ian, 1991). Because of the scarcity of land and since the reform of free trade environment
policy , people have stopped using the natural fertilizer and now use chemical fertilizers which provide high cause of losing
Nitrogen fertilizer and providing soil and land degradation (Liu et al., 2009). Moreover, the fertilizer provides 43% of Nutrients
which the global products extract each year, and the consumption may rise as high as 84% (Seng, 2010). In Cambodia the use
of fertilizer rate in agriculture field is the lowest compared to the other top-ten rice producing countries. 20% of Cambodian
farmers meet the bottle neck of pesticide/fertilizer uses (Seng, 2010). There are so many reasons for people in Cambodia of
which they do not willing to use pesticide on the land field. People in Cambodia have restored their culture of slash and burn
agriculture which provides enough amounts of fertilizers in irrigated land (Liu et al., 2009). According to the research of the
same literature review- Seng, 2010- most of the developed countries consume higher chemical fertilizer than developing
countries. In Cambodia in order to meet the human demand, they have to increase the productivity yeild for annualy, thus
chemical fertilizers is the most common for them in increasing the livestock. Moreover, the other top-ten countries consume
chemical fertilizer in their farm land as higher as 84 per cent, if we compare to Cambodia, only 20 per cent of chemical
fertilizers used.

II. General Concept of Chemical Fertilizers Use

The practice of Agriculture has around for thousands of years , and has become an increasingly popular way of life in the
world, Moreover, it provide countless people with substances and livelihoods (Elizabeth, Ryan, & Amy, 2004). To date,
however, chemical fertilizers are still playing the vital factor in enhancing the agricultural productivity in the world (Josephine,
2005). Famers add a large amount of fertilizers and pesticides at the time of sewing, in order to protect their young
plants (Elizabeth, et al., 2004). Ever-growing of population, people have to find a new approach for themselves for surviving.
Increasing agriculture land and products is a new approached for them to save their life. Since the development of the Green
Revolution, pesticide became a hot and famous approach for people to promote the agricultural products, especially increasing
the yield of products (Elizabeth, et al., 2004). Looking at the high population growth agriculture productivities cannot meet the
demand of food for large amount of people, thus new methods for enhancing the crop yield is regarded as a key point. In order
to improve the productivity of cropping, there are five common practices to meet the human needs: increasing title land or land
expansion, improving the quality of plants, improving more irrigation system, control critically with pest using chemical or
biological methods, and the last one is to promote the fertilizer use for improving the production and protect from insects (Seth,
2000).
- Improving title land: increasing the agriculture title land is the most importance duty for the government because land title
makes people-farmers have confidence and they also become more willing to invest in the agriculture sector. As well increasing
the title land in the agriculture sector also has the most critical benefits in enhancing the irrigated yield (Gambrah, 2002).
- Improving the quality of plants: chemical fertilizers use is for the purpose of increasing the agriculture product as well they
increase the quality of plants. Moreover, supplying chemical fertilizers following the instructions, people can maintain their
crops from the other insects (Jeffrey, 2007).
- Improving the irrigation system: Water is the most important in the agriculture sector. Rice plantation is basically dependent on
water, currently, people need to improve the irrigated use in their field because increasing the irrigation system means that
people can increase the planting season-2 or 3 times per year (Jeffrey, 2007).
- Critically control pests: The most important issue is increasing the yield in the agriculture sector, chemical fertilizers is the
most common method by which famers apply to maintain their crop. At the same time, in order to avoid insects, people have to
apply chemical fertilizers or biological methods or change the kind of crop from year to year (Jeffrey, 2007).
- Initiative fertilizers are used for protecting the crop: as mentioned earlier the controlling pest method, people have to adopt the
situation to use chemical fertilizers in their farmlands, in order to protect their crop from insects. (Jeffrey, 2007).
IV. Global Trend of Chemical Fertilizer Used
The chemical fertilizer has been used for a long time in the history of agriculture land (Network for Sustainable Agriculture,
Thailand) Pesticides were regarded as a dominate chemical for agriculture use since after World War II (Network for
Substainable Agriculture). People started to use chemical fertilizer on their agriculture land because it provides many
advantages for people such as : it plays an important role in protecting crops from insects which try to destroy the crops as well
as to promote high-yield of their crop production (Crawford, Jayne, & Kelly, 2006). Same literature also suggests, since the
1980s, people have been using fertilizers for increasing the agriculture productivity. The main reason people try fertilizers on
their agriculture land is because of the increase of the scarce land resources and the decline of rice production (Crawford, et al.,
2006).

V. Fertilizers effect on human being and environment

A. Human Beings
Pesticide became predominate in the irrigated area from the emerging of green revolution with the most concern on food
security for a rapidly growing population (Sununtar, 2006). Pesticides can be enter the human body in three ways, flow
directly by mouth, infiltrate by skin, and breathing (Yong, 1994). Moreover, pesticides also brings a lot of issues to the people
who digest the chemical fertilizers, for example, skin cancer, or effect on the growth of a baby (Yong, 1994). Currently,
pesticides have become much more serious for long-term resistant in human body as well as in foods such as meet, fruits,
vegetables, and other productions with pesticide residues (R.S. Battu, Balwinder, B.K. Kang, & B.S. Joia, 2004).

B. Productivity Change
There are more than 1.09 billion people in the world who are living in extreme poverty, about 810 million of those people lives
depend on the agriculture sector-small-scale agriculture for their livelihood (Sununtar, 2006). Moreover, Because of increasing
use of chemical fertilizer on agriculture land, providing changes have occurring on the agriculture yield (Crawford, et al.,
2006).

Table 1: Fertilizer Use in Sub-Saharan Africa Compared to Other Regions

Region 20002001 20022003

(Kg of fertilizer nutrients per ha of arable land)

9 9
Sub-Saharan Africa
109 100
South Asia

149 135
East and Southeast Asia

99 73
Latin America

Source: FAO 2004; World Bank

Depended on the source about we can assume that for Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, East and Southeast Asia and Latin
America, people used 25 Kg of fertilizer on their agriculture land during the 1990s.

C. Ground Water Damage

Water quality in the water source for agriculture have been change depended on the quality in incoming water and management
of the practical technique in the irrigate area (Supriyo. Das, 2007). Furthermore, the chemical fertilizers use is the most
relatively to the change of both surface and ground water because if the water from water source leave too much to the irrigated
land, while the number of chemical fertilizers in the rice field being dominantly, water cannot pure the chemical sustain which
consists in the those chemical fertilizers, providing water pollution-both surface and ground water (Supriyo. Das, 2007).
Critically, use of chemical fertilizer also effects the water source which causes pollution to both the surface and ground water,
which also highly impacts human water use and also makes water a scare resource(LIU Yu, ZHANG, & DU, 2009). Pesticides
can also impact many species in the environment resulting in environmental degradation. Pesticide can impact mammals ,
butterflies, bees, amphibians, plant, and soil fertility (Richard, 2010).

VI. Chemical Fertilizers Impact on Soil Fertility

Agriculture can provide positive and negative impacts on soil use, and the use of fertilizers can reduce the natural nutrients on
the soil surface (Fred, 1991). Moreover, chemical fertilizers are more resistant in the environment than the natural fertilizer
because its combined with chemicals which in some cases are harmful to the environment-especially, on soil fertility because
most of the microorganism decrease following the increase of the chemical fertilizers used (Katsunori, 2003). On the other
hand, fertilizers are regarded as a non-point-source pollution which resistant consists on the environment (LIU Yu, et al., 2009).
Because agriculture is heavily depended on the environmental resources, direct impacts are felt by local farmers because the
use of fertilizer on their agriculture land and lose of their ecological system from the pollution in the water resources (LIU Yu,
et al., 2009).

Interestingly, if people apply high level of chemical fertilizer or pesticide on their farm land day in, day out, one problem will be
emerging from pesticide absorption of their crop is reduced pest control, the bad insects will be resistant if you apply chemical
fertilizers for long period but oppositely beneficial insects will decline leading to the loss of pest control. For example: farmers
use pesticide for protecting their cucumber, thus they must apply chemical fertilizer to killed the insects but unfortunately those
insects are residue with the fertilizer providing warmth and other micro-organisms which live on the ground suffer from those
fertilizer, micro organisms which play a vital role in the improvement of the soil quality. This results in land degradation
because of using chemical fertilizers (Fred, 1991). The chemical fertilizers used must slather both pests and other beneficial
organisms that contribute high value functions in agricultural areas (Preap, 2009). The same mention on the loss of both pests
and other beneficial organisms is also mentioned by Richard, 2010.

All bacteria living inside the soil surface provides potential benefits for cropping but currently the use of chemical fertilizer are
playing an important role in the loss of land.. There are many factors that contribute to land degradation due to fertilizers.
Firstly, if the people apply pesticide in the field, it will effect to earthworm resulting in the loss of an important actor playing the
vital role as a good decomposer of land. Secondly, the change of bacteria function is also happening while people apply those
pesticides in their farmlands (Richard, 2010). According to Pierre A. Roger and Ian Simpson, 1991, the greatest source of soil
degradation is due to chemical fertilizers where with the main objective is to improve the quantity of the products in particular
rice products.. Humans are the largest factors which cause soil degradation due to the unprofessional conduct of chemical
fertilizers on irrigated land and it effects which cause loss of the lands nutrients/organic matters, resulting in the loss of soil
fertility (Katsunori, 2003).

Soil plays many functions in the environment, it is used for only food productivities but it also acts as a carbon-sink, reducing
the atmospheric pollution, protecting natural resource cycles and recovering nutrients. Today, agriculture activities, by using
chemical fertilizers creates negatives impacts on soil fertility because of the long-term resistance the ecosystem has of
pesticide which results in the lost of beneficial organisms, earthworm, micro-organism, and other species (Sununtar, 2006).

A. Classification of the toxicity of Chemical fertilizers Use

Even chemical fertilizers are used for the same purpose: in order to maintain the growth of the crops without thinking of the
invasion from other insects, increasing the agriculture yield for sustaining the human need. . Chemical fertilizers also bring
harm for both our health and environment. Chemical fertilizers are classified into four ranks, extremely hazardous, Highly
hazardous, Moderately hazardous and Slightly hazardous (Sylviane, Vaucheret, Mike, Juliette, & Steve, 2002).
Toxicity Classification
Oral LD50 Dermal LD50
mg per kg body weight required to kill 50% of rat pollution

WHO category Solids Liquids Solids Liquids

Ia Extremely Hazardous
50 or below 20 or below 10 or below 40 or below

Ib Highly Hazardous
5-50 20-200 10-100 40-400

II Moderately Hazardous
50-500 200-2000 100-1000 400-4000

III Slightly Hazardous

Over 500 Over 2000 Over 1000 Over 4000

N.B. The term solids and liquids refer to the physical state of the active ingredient being classified

The world Health Organization classifies the impact of chemical fertilizers by the acute toxicity, using the LD50 (Lethal Dose
50%) benchmark. LD50 doesnt the amount of the chemical required to kill 50% of an exposed population of laboratory rate.
There are two measures for each product, oral LD50 (The product is given orally) and dermal LD50 (The product is given
through the skin).
Source: (Sylviane Nguyen-Vaucheret, Dr Mike Shanahan, Juliette Williams and Steve Trent, 2002).

VII. Method of Reducing Chemical Fertilizer Use on Irrigated Land

Users can prevent land degradation from pesticide by using many methods (Department for Environment, 2003) by using the
following methods: first of all, Choosing a pesticide dose that does not persist in the long term. . Secondly, combining
pesticide with chemical method and natural method together in order reducing the degradation potential of the chemical
product. Thirdly, try to reduce pesticide use, if two or more pesticide consist equally effective, opt for one which involve lest
land degradation and environmental risk. Fourthly, put the pesticide rate with the formal standard and take other methods to
improve the quality of land use, use natural fertilizers to improve the quality of land to reduce chemical sustains which have a
highly negative impact on agriculture land.

Currently, the Cambodian Government is trying to boost farmers following the crop diversification, such as agro-ecological
system and up-land cropping for preventing farmers in applying high levels of chemical pesticides on the field, the loss of those
beneficial micro-organisms lead to sharply reduce the soil fertilizer because those organism play an important role as a
decomposer which convert those sustains into perfect fertilizer for farmers plants and crops (Pock, 2009). Nevertheless, using
IPM method properly for pest management in the farmland because in the concept of IPM method, they dont rely on chemical
products or chemical fertilizers which cause the environmental degradation, land degradation (Uttaranchal & Dehradun, 2004).
Promoting NPM-Non-Pesticide Management is following after IMP method for controlling pests but it refers to the long-term
perspective. IPM is the way that reduces farmers dependency on chemical fertilizers or chemical pesticides (Uttaranchal &
Dehradun, 2004).
Case Study on:
Soil Degradation in the Canada, Great Lake (Steve Thorp, Ann Arbor, & Michigan;
Victoria, 1997)
Even the Great Lake people are mainly focused on fishing but some of them also act as a farmer which they plant crops and rice
on the upland nearby the bank of the great lake. Because of the high potential of high beneficial with good value of
sedimentation along Great Lake, many fisherman convert to farmers.

On the other hand, Great Lake is a stock of diversity species with good fertilizers for plants. Agriculture covers approximately
24 percent of the basin area around the great lake. One of the most critical crops in the great lack area is corn which requires
high amounts of fertilizers for supporting their growth, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus. Even the great lake which is full
nutrients, people still applies chemical fertilizers for doing agriculture which provides loss of nutrition which covers the surface
of the land. The main purposes of using chemical fertilizers on the agriculture land along the great lake are to protect crop plant
from other insects which try to destroy their crops. Other, contributing pesticides are for controlling weeds from invading on the
agriculture land.
Focus on the note point above the yellow point refer to the land use for agriculture which results in parts of quality and quantity
of other crop on great lake. Because of the human demand of agriculture products, the great lake became polluted by the
chemical fertilizers. According to the research on the pesticide use and flow into the great lake approximately about 26 million
kg annually 762,932 square kilometers is the total land size. A high amount of chemical fertilizers are used in the great lake and
loss of natural nutrition has occurred which resulted from the applying of pesticide that destroys the quality of land.

Case Study on:

Pesticide use in Cambodia (Sylviane, Vaucheret, Mike, Juliette, & Steve 2002)
A. Cambodia Profile on chemical Fertilizers Use
Around 10 millions Cambodian people live in the rural area with 8.5 million of them are relying only on natural
resources; rice crop is one of the most important resources which people depended on (Bruce & Prom,
2002).Currently, more than 80 percent of Cambodian people are relying on the Agriculture sector (Yong, 1994). In order to get
high-yield from rice product sometime people need to maintain their crop with technical system and sometime people also need
to use fertilizer and pesticide for protecting crops from other insects (Yich, 1994).

B. Soil Classification in Cambodia

In Cambodia, there are 11 types of soil identified in the rice ecosystem-soil used for rice production in Cambodia. However, the
researcher has been divided into three main sub-areas of irrigated land, which include, traditional rice growing area, upland soil
and foothills area, and soil of flood plains area.
- Traditional rice growing area: refers to the land of which is used for agriculture for a long time and also the nutrients
have been leaching out by the erosion.
- Upland soil and foothills area: refers to the area of which mostly located in the mountain area and formed by the
sandstone and shale-soft of grey rock formed by harden clay, which break easily into thin layers.
- Soil of flood plains area: refers to the land which is mostly nearby the rivers or lakes which provides huge benefits for
people and their farmland. Mostly, soil of flood plains area consists of high fertile and carried by the floodwaters.
Source: Dr Mike Shanahan, 2002
Starting from the past time of Cambodia history, people plant their crop referring to the nature. Chemical fertilizers used
currently have been initiated for maintaining their cropping. CEDAC have been conducted the survey and revealed in 2000 with
993 farmers, 67% used pesticides, 44% used pesticides in the 1980s and the rest is starting in 1990s. Pesticides are playing the
important role in increasing the total yield in agriculture sector. Moreover, during 1994 about 30 different pesticides were found
in Cambodia, following this reason after six years the number increased up to 76 compounds with 241 different products.
Currently pesticides are the playing an important role for Cambodian people for maintaining the same or increasing the yield, it
remains the most significant issues for environment degradation and with the social issues.
, In the past people lived the peaceful living with sharing traditionalism but now because of the trends of agriculture change,
people do not think about the common interested, they think only about the individual. Interestingly, when farmers use pesticide
for many years, the ecosystems will be resistant and the fertilizers will cause even more problems than we are facing today in
the agricultural sector. According to the survey conducted by CEDAC, whenever farmers assume that pesticide will not provide
the benefits anymore for their crop protection, they will change because they think that those pesticides loss their potential in
keeping their product. In fact, those insects were resistant to those pesticides. And the continual use of chemical fertilizers
causes the quality of soil to increasingly decrease.