Solutions for Green Agriculture in East Asia: World Bank

Excessive levels of drugs or chemicals in food have also affected domestic food safety and international market access. Agricultural pollution is negatively impacting people's health, economies and environment in countries in East Asia, and other parts of the world. The good news is that there is a wide range of technical and policy solutions that can address agricultural pollution, and move the sector toward cleaner and safer farming while spurring the development of a thriving food industry.

A solution for cleaner and safer food production:

-Livestock

• Better feeds to reduce phosphorus content
• More efficient breeds to produce more protein per animal
• Biodigesters to convert waste to energy and fertilizer
• Minimizing growth enhancing and prophylactic use of antibiotics

-Aquaculture

• Use of high-quality feeds to improve productivity and reduce waste
• Minimizing use of chemicals and antibiotics for managing pests and diseases
• Apply wastewater treatment and closed-loop system to avoid contamination of the nearby water source

-Crops

• More judicious fertilizer use and site-specific nutrient management
• Integrated pest management to reduce the use of agrochemicals
• Alternate wetting and drying to reduce methane emissions in rice production
• Repurposing crop waste for value to avoid residue burning

-Strategies

• Adopt clean and safe agriculture goals
• Harmonize agricultural, environmental and health policies to meet these goals
• Reform fiscal and other incentives and re-deploy public resources
• Influence production and consumption pattern to support change.