Dependency of Agriculture on Chemical Industry Products Derived from Crude Oil and Natural Gas

Szarek Stanisław ()
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Szarek Stanisław: PhD, Institute of Management and Quality Sciences, University of Siedlce; ul. Żytnia 39, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland.

Zagadnienia Ekonomiki Rolnej / Problems of Agricultural Economics, 2025, vol. 382, issue 1, 85-107

Abstract: Aim The purpose of the study is to show the extent to which agriculture is dependent on chemical processing products. It was hypothesized that cutting off agriculture from the products produced by the chemical industry could lead to the collapse of food production. Material and Methods The article develops the problem presented in the publication “Dependence on Chemical Industry Products Made From Oil and Gas – On the Way to the Annihilation of Humanity” (Szarek, 2023). The material inspired the presentation of the importance of oil and gas processing products (OGPP) in agriculture. Results The analysis of the material in this article allows us to conclude that agriculture uses OGPP products on a large scale. Cutting off from these products can lead to a decline in crop yields, associated with lack of nitrogen fertilization, lack of chemical protection, hindered ability to apply fertilizers and pesticides, lack of materials for irrigation and sprinkler systems. In light of the analysis of the importance of chemical processing products, it was found that pesticides are the most important for agriculture, followed by nitrogen fertilizers. Tires for agricultural machinery and equipment are very important for modern, high-performance agriculture. In the case of livestock production, detergents were assigned the greatest importance. Conclusions Analyzing the material in this article and knowing the scale of agriculture’s dependence on OGPP products, it is possible to identify the following directions for agricultural development that will counteract dependence on chemical products: 1) development of precision agriculture focused on proper fertilization and crop protection, 2) development of precision agriculture based on the use of inputs from sources other than oil and natural gas, 3) intensification of the development of organic farming and yield increases on those farms where inputs from sources other than oil and gas will be the basis.

Keywords: agriculture; crop yields; food security; chemical processing; crude oil and natural gas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q10 Q35 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:zerpae:v:382:y:2025:i:1:p:85-107:n:1003

DOI: 10.30858/zer/194136

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