Reclaiming abandoned mine tailings ponds for agricultural use: Opportunities and challenges.

Tailings ponds, large man-made structures conceived during the mining process for waste storage, often become deserted post-mining, leaving behind a stark, contaminated landscape. This paper posits that these forsaken tailings ponds can be rejuvenated into fertile agricultural land through adept reclamation efforts. Serving as a discussion paper, it engages in a stimulating exploration of the environmental and health risks linked to tailings ponds. It sheds light on the potential and impediments in the transformation of these ponds into agricultural land. The discussion concludes that despite the substantial hurdles in repurposing tailings ponds for agriculture, there are encouraging prospects with the application of multifaceted efforts. • This paper explores the potential of transforming these abandoned tailings ponds into productive agricultural land. • This paper explores the environmental risks of tailings ponds and the difficulties and potentials in their restoration. • This paper underpins the importance of land reclamation in addressing issues of land contamination and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]