Jinhe Phosphate Chemical Plant in the background. Its pile of phosphate slag heap is only meters apart from the nearest field of Tingjiang Village, Shifang City, Sichuan Province.
Greenpeace is currently investigating the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer in Sichuan. Chemical fertilizers play an integral role in industrial agriculture and food production. However, its manufacture has proven to be highly polluting, contributing to wide-spread environmental contamination and causing distress for local communities living in the vicinity of the production facilities.