Overview
Agricultural air pollution is a significant but often under-recognized source of health and economic burdens worldwide. Beyond its impact on human health, emissions from agriculture also harm crops, reduce yields, damage ecosystems, and decrease biodiversity. While urban areas are commonly associated with poor air quality, rural and agricultural regions also experience high levels of pollutants, particularly secondary pollutants like ozone, whose health effects are frequently underreported. Addressing air pollution in agriculture is crucial for improving air quality, advancing clean energy, and mitigating climate change. Efforts to reduce agricultural emissions offer benefits for both climate and public health, protecting people, animals, and ecosystems while supporting sustainable food production.
Agriculture - sectoral solutions for air pollution and health highlights this issue of agriculture activities as a source of ambient air pollution and the implications on health. The technical brief summarizes priority actions for the short, medium and long term to address the health impacts of this source of air pollution and success stories of addressing air and climate pollutants from agriculture.
This document is part of the WHO Air Quality, Energy, and Health Science and Policy Summaries (SPS). These summaries provide concise overviews of current knowledge and evidence on air quality, energy access, climate change, and health. They aim to support decision-makers by presenting key insights from scientific research.
The SPS are developed through a multistakeholder consultation process that includes experts from WHO Advisory Groups – i.e., the Scientific Advisory Group on Air Pollution and Health (SAG), and the Global Air Pollution and Health – Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG) – as well as specialists from WHO Collaborating Centres, UN agencies as well as other experts from academia and civil society.
All Science and Policy Summaries can be accessed here
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