Interstate trade exacerbates agricultural pollution in food bowls of India

Abstract

Maintaining food surplus for growing populace while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact poses significant challenge. Intensive agricultural practices fueled green revolutions in nations, which helped them achieve self-sufficiency. However, the fertilizer-intensive agricultural practices and exploitative trade systems eventually created a legacy of unsustainable agrarian systems. To understand the environmental consequences of the national cereal trade, we map Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium transferred through interstate wheat and rice trade in India over the decade. We quantify the fate of leftover nutrient surplus across the traded network. Nation’s food bowls, while contributing significantly towards national food demand, are becoming pollution-rich by sustaining 1.19 TgNyr-1, and 0.35 TgPyr-1 surplus that accounts for 61% of total surplus arising from trade transfer, indicating a growing disparity in agricultural nutrient budget. Given India’s role in global food security, identifying the nation’s environmental vulnerability can help to design appropriate policy interventions for sustainable development.