Challenges, constraints, and opportunities in sustainable agriculture and environment

The rapidly growing population and current food production systems have raised concerns about global food security and ecosystem sustainability. The food production systems are sought to fulfill food demands but challenge the sustainability of agriculture. High use of fertilizer and other chemical inputs, monotonous crop rotations, conventional land management practices, etc., have caused soil degradation, resource depletion, and loss of agricultural sustainability. Sustainable agricultural practices such as precision agriculture, nanotechnology, biofertilizers/pesticides, better land management systems, and the introduction of low input climate resilient crops offer the opportunities to address the sustainability issue. However, lack of knowledge, poor extension services, agricultural policies at the global, national, regional, and local levels, institutional reforms, etc., are the major constraints in the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. In this chapter, the challenges and constraints to sustainability of agriculture are discussed. The opportunities which can help improving food security, environment, and economic sustainability have also been proposed.