Pesticides are a hidden threat to humans, animals, insects, as well as to all ecosystems. They control pests and play an important role in crop productivity and prevent vector borne-diseases in humans, but they also extremely pollute our surroundings. These toxic substances are found in soil, water, air, plants, food and feed. Their residues enter plants and animal products and accumulate in humans and animals by the food chain. They endanger our lives and put down our health, as well as demolish beneficial organisms in the environment. This paper expresses a piece of information that has been obtained from reviewing academic papers, books and other sources. People take these toxic chemicals from water, air, and agricultural products, as well as their surroundings. They are stored in humans and animals’ tissues or excreted by different routes, but their adverse effects have no end. Brain, kidneys, skin, gastrointestinal, liver, lungs, spleen and every organ of humans are suppressed by them. They cause various diseases, cancers, mutations, as well as lead to death. These chemicals destroy honeybees’ colonies and decrease pollinator’s populations. Additionally, birds, wildlife and soil organisms are extremely suppressed by the heavy application of pesticides. They damage human beings, animals, pollinators, honeybees, and soil microorganisms. Increasing the application of pesticides decreases the population of pollinators, honeybees, and other beneficial organisms, as well as impacts human health. If these living organisms are diminished, our lives are threatened by food shortage, a collapsed economy, and increased food and feed demand, therefore new crises including famine and diseases put down our prosperity. All pesticides should be used cautiously and need to develop a new type of pesticides that do not harm seriously our environment.

The agricultural sector is the most important economic component in Afghanistan, as 80% of the population is involved. The improvement of cereal production is an urgent task to meet the nation’s demand for the staple within the limited arable land. To promote a sustainable crop production system, this study examined the soil quality to learn the basic knowledge of soil fertility and the environmental impact of different rice–wheat cropping systems in Khost, Afghanistan by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The economic analysis of each farming system was conducted by the data gathered by the farmers’ interviews along with LCA data collection. The analysis considered the on-farm activities, which were required to produce 1 kg of wheat and rice. It included energy use, production, and farming inputs such as fertilizer and agrochemicals. Conventional farming with organic fertilizer application (CF+OF) was compared with conventional farming (CF). The LCA results showed the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission was higher in rice production compared to wheat production. However, CO2 absorption by the crops was far greater than the total GHG emission in both systems and showed great potential for soil carbon sequestration for mitigation of global warming. The soil examination revealed the CF+OF system increased soil total carbon (TC), active C (AC), total N (TN), soil organic carbon storage (SCS), P, and K+ after four years of organic fertilizer application. The yield of each crop was slightly higher in the CF system; however, the CF+OF system increased net income by reducing the cost for fertilizer. The study concluded the CF+OF system can improve soil fertility in the long term while saving the farming operation cost. Further research is required to determine the best combination of practices to improve cattle manure characteristics and farm management for soil carbon sequestration to promote a sustainable farming system in the country.

Agricultural fields can store substantial amounts of atmospheric carbon in the soil. In 2011, the Environmentally Friendly Farming Direct Payment Program (EFFDPP) began as a way to promote sustainable agriculture, but the approved methods for receiving the subsidy are limited to the use of manure and cover crops. For evaluating other options for the EFFDPP, we calculated soil carbon inputs and CO₂ emissions in four nature farming (NF) systems for comparisons with conventional farming (CF) and environmentally friendly farming (EF) systems. In 2015, we collected data on farm management from interviews and conducted a field experiment for NF. According to the calculations using a modified Roth C model, the ability for soil carbon sequestration predicted over the next 20 years is the highest in a no-till NF system with grass mulching. CO₂ emission per ha for CF was 4.8 tCO₂/ha, which was eight times higher than that for NF. However, the highest CO₂ emission per kg of crop was noted in NF with no grass mulching due to very low yield. The total CO₂ emission for CF was similar to that for EF. The NF systems were beneficial in reducing CO₂ emission, but a combination of other approaches is required for satisfying EFFDPP criteria.

Deep-inversion tillage for weed control and residue incorporation can have a detrimental effect on agroecosystems. Despite the potential for no-tillage (NT) organic farming to improve soil quality, the yield response of NT can vary. This study compared the effects of NT and conventional rotary tillage (CT), leafmould application (LM+) and no leafmould (LM–), clipped-weed mulch application (CM+) and no weed mulch (CM–) on eggplant yield and crop residue (Solanum melongena L.) and on soil chemical and physical properties under standard organic farming conditions. In both years, NT CM+ resulted in higher yield and crop residue than in NT CM–. Soil bulk density was 34 and 32% lower in 2014 and 2015, respectively, in NT compared with CT. In both years, CM+ had a significant impact on the water content in the surface-layer in both tillage systems. Soil organic carbon and active carbon concentrations, at 0–2.5 cm depth, were 85 and 20% higher in NT than in CT. In October, NO₃-N, exchangeable Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ (in 0–2.5 cm only) and available P (in 0–2.5 cm only) were higher in NT than in CT in soil layers 0–2.5 cm and 2.5–7.5 cm. CM+ resulted in increased soil inorganic nitrogen in NT plots during the growing season. The results suggested that NT with CM+ application can be a valuable conservation practice for increasing yield and soil carbon in organic farming by reducing tillage intensity.