Mining-Induced Water Contamination in Agricultural Landscapes: A Global Systematic Review of Impacts on Crop Productivity and Food Security

Mining activities can contaminate water resources used in agricultural and food-producing environments through the release of metals, acid mine drainage (AMD), and other pollutants. This systematic review synthesized evidence on mining-related water contamination and it reported links with agricultural exposure, crop productivity, food safety, human health, and food security. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were searched for peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025. Eighty studies met the eligibility criteria, comprising 35 primary empirical studies; 10 modelling, spatial, or econometric studies; 29 reviews or syntheses; and 6 policy, conceptual or case analyses. Large-scale industrial metal mining was the most frequently identified individual mining source, although 45.0% of studies covered multiple mining types or did not specify a dominant source. Arsenic and lead were each reported in 25.0% of studies, followed by cadmium (22.5%), mercury (21.3%), and copper (18.8%). Water contamination was reported in 51 studies (63.8%), human health risk or exposure in 34 (42.5%), and soil contamination or degradation in 28 (35.0%). Evidence for subsequent agricultural outcomes was less frequent, with 12 studies (15.0%) reporting crop contamination, 10 (12.5%) reporting crop productivity or yield effects, and six (7.5%) reporting household food-security or livelihood outcomes. Only six studies jointly reported water contamination with productivity or food-security endpoints. Overall, the evidence strongly documents mining-related water contamination, while direct evidence connecting contamination to crop productivity and household food-security outcomes remains comparatively limited. Further primary research that would trace the water–soil–crop–food–security pathway is needed to strengthen the evidence base for agricultural and environmental decision-making.