Agriculture: sectoral solutions for air pollution and health

The World Health Organization (WHO) publication “Agriculture – sectoral solutions for air pollution and health” (2025) outlines the strong interconnections between agricultural practices, air pollution, and human health, emphasizing the need for coordinated action to reduce emissions and improve sustainability. Agriculture is identified as a major but underrecognized contributor to air pollution, releasing large amounts of ammonia, methane, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants not only degrade air quality but also affect crop yields, ecosystems, and climate. The brief details how emissions from manure, fertilizer use, crop residue burning, and agricultural machinery contribute to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) formation, with significant health and economic consequences. WHO highlights that in many regions, including South Asia and East Asia, rural air pollution remains poorly monitored despite its severe impacts. The report calls for improved emissions inventories and air quality monitoring networks in rural and agricultural areas to capture pollutants such as ammonia and volatile organic compounds. Data presented show that agriculture accounts for 94% of ammonia emissions and 56% of methane emissions in the EU, and similar proportions in developing regions. The health burden associated with these emissions is considerable; agricultural air pollution is estimated to cause more than half a million premature deaths globally each year. Studies indicate that eliminating residue burning in India could prevent thousands of premature deaths and billions of dollars in welfare losses. The brief describes transboundary effects, such as severe haze episodes in New Delhi driven by burning in neighboring regions, highlighting agriculture as both a local and cross-border pollution source. The document provides numerous success stories, including the “green protocol” in São Paulo, Brazil, which phased out sugarcane burning through combined legislation, voluntary agreements, and satellite monitoring—offering lessons for Asian contexts where crop residue burning persists. Recommended priority actions include integrating agricultural emissions into clean air policies, adopting no-burn practices, promoting organic and low-emission fertilizers, improving manure and livestock management, and shifting toward sustainable diets that lower environmental footprints. WHO also underscores the importance of One Health and integrated policy approaches linking human, animal, and environmental health. The brief emphasizes partnerships with the FAO, UNECE, and Climate and Clean Air Coalition on nitrogen management and short-lived climate pollutants, including ongoing assessments of nitrous oxide and methane emissions. It calls for intersectoral collaboration between ministries of health, environment, and agriculture, expansion of rural health surveillance, and inclusion of farmers and rural communities in mitigation strategies. The document concludes by stressing the health, ecosystem, and economic co-benefits of reducing agricultural emissions—improving air quality, mitigating climate change, and protecting livelihoods. Through evidence-based interventions, data sharing, and multilateral cooperation, the agricultural sector can transition toward practices that secure clean air, sustainable production, and better health outcomes globally, with particular relevance for heavily affected Asian subregions.