Flooding, Pollution And Agriculture

There has been a noticeable silence amongst environmental studies concerning the relationship between agriculture, flooding and pollution. This paper, which emerges from research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and United Utilities, attempts to redress this neglect and stimulate both debate and research in to this important area. Utilising research undertaken in the UK, the contention underlying this paper is that much of current agricultural policy and practice is fostering an environment susceptible to flooding and pollution. The paper highlights a number of issues concerning the ways in which certain agricultural practices exacerbate the risk from both flooding and pollution, drawing linkages with current legislation and policy. Finally, an attempt is made to identify agricultural policies and practices that could help to reduce the incidence of flooding and pollution.