There are a number of reasons that have led to decline in productivity of agricultural land.
i. Population growth has led to increase in demand for food. Due to this, modern agricultural techniques have been developed that cause harm to the soil properties.
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ii. With population explosion, agricultural lands are being cleared for construction but the demand for food is on the rise. This has led to food scarcity in some parts of the world.
iii. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has led to decline in the soil fertility. They also change the nutrient value of the soil.
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iv. The practice of agricultural techniques like shifting cultivation leads to barren agricultural lands that can never be used for agriculture.
v. Farmers often use excessive water for irrigation due to lack of knowledge and in the hope of more agricultural produce causes salination.
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vi. Poor water management has led to problems of floods and droughts, causing harm to the agricultural lands.
vii. Intensive cultivation to produce more crops from a piece of land results in degradation of soil in terms of its fertility which in turn decreases its productivity.
viii. Due to mining activities, road construction, etc agricultural lands get destroyed.
ix. Monoculture or growing of same crops again and again in a large farm not only reduces soil nutrients but also makes crop vulnerable to pests and diseases.
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x. Modern agricultural practices such as use of heavy machines make the soil more compact due to which soil microbes are not able to get sufficient oxygen and water to survive. This affects food production.
xi. Planting of trees for commercial use, like eucalyptus instead of food crops, causes reduction in food production. Moreover, eucalyptus trees do not hold the soil well, and cattle do not eat its leaves. The soil of the eucalyptus plantations loses its nutrient value because it does not receive manure from cattle nor from the leaves to eucalyptus trees.