ENVIRONMENTAL UNSUSTAINABILITY OF CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES: DEGRADATION OF SOIL RESOURCES AND AGROECOSYSTEMS – FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59864/FinAdv310201JVTKeywords:
conventional agricultural practices, soil degradation, erosion, biodiversity, agricultural productivity, sustainable agriculture, tillage costs, financial effectsAbstract
The paper analyzes the environmental unsustainability of conventional agricultural practices, with particular emphasis on soil degradation, erosion, biodiversity loss, and declining agricultural productivity, as well as the related financial and economic consequences for agricultural holdings. The starting assumption is that agricultural production models based on deep soil tillage, monocultures, and intensive use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides provide short-term production effects, but in the long term lead to weakening of agroecosystem functionality and increasing expenditures. The paper discusses the key mechanisms of soil degradation, including disruption of soil structure, reduced organic matter content, increased susceptibility to water and wind erosion, as well as reduced soil capacity to retain water. A special part of the paper is devoted to the economic consequences of degradation, which are reflected in increased production costs (fuel, machinery, production inputs), greater dependence on external inputs, and reduced profitability of agricultural holdings. The local context of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is also analyzed, where chernozems, despite their high natural fertility, are exposed to intensive exploitation, climate stresses, and degradation processes. In the final part of the paper, conventional and sustainable practices are compared, with emphasis on the advantages of no-till systems, reduced tillage, cover crops, and crop rotation in preserving soil resources, stabilizing agroecosystems, and optimizing financial expenditures. The results of the analysis indicate that the transition towards conservation and regenerative approaches is a necessary prerequisite for the long-term environmental and economic sustainability of agriculture.Downloads
References
1. Abu-Hamdeh, N. H. (2004). Effect of conservative tillage on physical properties of soil and yield of rainfed wheat. CIGR Journal, 6, 1–12.
2. Agronews. (2025, April 24). Pokrovni usevi - tehnologija za budućnost. https://www.agronews.rs/pokrovni-usevi-tehnologija-za-buducnost/
3. Baker, J. M., Ochsner, T. E., Venterea, R. T., & Griffis, T. J. (2007). Tillage and soil carbon sequestration—What do we really know? Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 118(1–4), 1–5.
4. Basch, G., & Andrade, R. (2022). Cover crops and crop rotation in organic agriculture: Benefits for soil fertility and weed control. European Journal of Agronomy, 138, 126–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2022.126140
5. Bezdan, J., et al. (2019). SPEI-based approach to agricultural drought monitoring in Vojvodina. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 64(2), 115–128.
6. Blanco-Canqui, H., & Ruis, S. J. (2018). No-tillage and soil physical environment. Geoderma, 327, 61–70.
7. Ćirić, V., et al. (2017). Changes in soil organic carbon stocks under different land uses in Vojvodina province. Zb. Rad. Inst. Ratar. Povrt., 54(1), 12–20.
8. de Graaff, M. A., et al. (2019). Effects of agricultural intensification on soil biodiversity and implications for ecosystem functioning: A meta-analysis. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 135, 120–131.
9. Dragović, S. (2005). Drought intensity in Vojvodina province and its influence on agriculture. Anali Naučnih Radova, 29(1), 45–53.
10. Gattinger, A., et al. (2012). Enhanced top soil carbon stocks under organic farming. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(44), 18226–18231. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.11111234
11. Gomiero, T., Pimentel, D., & Paoletti, M. G. (2011). Environmental impact of different agricultural management practices: Conventional vs. organic agriculture. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 30(1–2), 95–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352684.2011.555783
12. Hussain, S., et al. (2021). Carbon sequestration to avoid soil degradation: A review on the role of conservation tillage. Plants, 10(10), 2001.
13. Jacobs, A. A., Evans, R. S., Allison, J. K., Garner, E. R., Kingery, W. L., & McCulley, R. L. (2022). Cover crops and no-tillage reduce crop production costs and soil loss, compensating for lack of short-term soil quality improvement. Soil and Tillage Research, 217, 105310.
14. Kaspar, T. C., et al. (2011). The use of cover crops to manage soil. Soil and Water Conservation Society, 42–58.
15. Kool, D., et al. (2019). Soil aggregate stability and water infiltration under conservation tillage. Soil Tillage Res., 190, 88–96.
16. Lal, R. (2020). Regenerative agriculture for food and climate. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 75(5), 123A–124A. https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.75.5.123A
17. Langdale, G. W., et al. (n.d.). Cover crop effects on soil erosion by wind and water. USDA-ARS Conservation Research Report.
18. Lazzaro, G., & Ferrari, M. (2022). Long-term crop rotation planning for organic agriculture sustainability. Agricultural Systems, 94(2), 156–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsys.2022.156172
19. Ličina, V. (2011). The soils of Serbia and their degradation. Zemljište i Biljka, 60(1), 1–15.
20. Mäder, P., et al. (2002). Soil fertility and biodiversity in organic farming. Science, 296(5573), 1694–1697. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1071148
21. Mitchell, J. P., et al. (n.d.). No-tillage, surface residue retention, and cover crops. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication.
22. Paustian, K., et al. (2016). Climate-smart soils. Nature, 532(7597), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17174
23. Reganold, J. P., & Wachter, J. M. (2016). Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century. Nature Plants, 2, 15221. https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.221
24. Rose, D. C., et al. (2022). Sustainable agriculture and the transition to organic farming. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 42(3), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-22-00045-x
25. Schreefel, L., et al. (2020). Regenerative agriculture – the soil is the base. Global Food Security, 26, 100404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100404
26. Seitz, S., et al. (2019). Conservation tillage and organic farming reduce soil erosion. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 39(1), 4.
27. Soil Degradation and Climate Change in Serbia. (2021). Ministry of Environmental Protection Report, Belgrade.
28. Tsiafouli, M. A., et al. (2015). Intensive agriculture reduces soil biodiversity across Europe. Global Change Biology, 21(2), 973–985. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12752
29. Use of Cover Crops and Crop Rotation for Soil Fertility. (2026). FAO Technical Guidelines on Soil Health, Rome.
30. Vasin, J. (2024). Degradation process of decreasing humus content in the soils of Vojvodina province. Field and Vegetable Crops Research, 61(1), 30–38.
31. Zhang, K., Liu, Z., McCarl, B. A., & Fei, C. J. (2024). Enhancing agricultural soil carbon sequestration: A review with some research needs. Climate, 12(10), 151.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jelena Vapa Tankosić (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
