Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of applying fertilisers to the land:

- It increases crop yield and improves poor quality land.
- Manure improves soil texture, recycles nitrogen and introduces essential bacteria.
- Pasture is improved so animals fatten up quicker.
- Once marshland is drained, fertilisers can help reclaim that land for pasture
- Crops grow faster – particularly when hybrid seeds are used.

Disadvantages of using artificial fertilisers:

- Crops grow better, but so do weeds. Therefore herbicide sprays are required too.
- Better quality plants attract insects so pesticides may be needed.
- Excess nitrogen from fertilisers gets into water supplies, causing fish to die.
- Chemicals need to be used safely. In poorer countries in particular, farmers can
- damage their health by applying fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides incorrectly.
- Artificial fertilisers, applied without organic additions, do not improve soil structure.