Urban areas are experiencing rapid population growth. This is primarily caused by agricultural decline. I believe that this trend is unsustainable as it worsens already alarming issues.
The major cause of the overpopulation is agricultural decline. This occurs when usage of pesticides increases, which leads to soil degradation. As the majority of products that farmers sell such as corns, tomatoes are grown on soil, depletion of this resource directly affects agriculturalists’ income . Once they lose their source of income, they start to look for other career prospects, which are mostly available in cities. Consequently, it leads to massive migration to urban areas. Many farmers in Kazakhstan, for example, are moving to cities to find jobs, increasing urbanisation level to approximately 60 percent.
However beneficial moving to cities might seem, there are still issues such as strain on urban infrastructure. As population grows it generates increased demand for houses, which requires more space to be constructed. Consequently, streets become narrower than they are now, causing issues such as traffic congestion and residents’ dissatisfaction. For example, people living in Shanghai, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, spend hours on traffic, emphasising how overwhelming it is.
In conclusion, cities are becoming overcrowded because of agricultural decline, leading to issues with urban infrastructure.