For several centuries, agricultural activity (arable farming and livestock raising)
has developed in harmony with the environment. Farmers produced
what nature allowed them to produce without large quantities of input.
At the end of the last century, with the introduction of fertilizers, the
development of plant breeding and modern techniques of livestock-rearing
and crop protection, yields have progressively grown to present the levels.
At the end of the 1970's, it became apparent that progress in
agriculture had brought with it several less desirable phenomena such as
the presence of residues of plant protection products in food, nitrates in
ground water, the degradation of certain soils, growing uniformity of the
countryside, and so on (F.A.O., 1994a).
Some of these negative effects, due to the increased agricultural
activity, may also affect the marine environment. Following is an outline
account of the various hazards emanating from agriculture with special
reference to the Maltese Islands.peer-reviewe
