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Currently, ensuring food production is a concern that has led to the use of chemical products such as herbicides formulated with glyphosate, which have allowed an improvement in crop yields thanks to weeds elimination. However, the uncontrolled use of this herbicide has raised concerns about the long-term effects that this compound and its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) can have on the environment, mainly in agricultural soils and water sources. This document is a systematic review about the use of glyphosate as an active compound in herbicides and how its excessive use negatively impacts the environment. Therefore, topics such as persistence in environmental matrices, the effects on soil microbiota, its mobility towards groundwater and surface water, and the risk of contamination of these; the use of glyphosate in Panama and the sustainability of its agricultural use were covered. Through a review of recent studies, we seek to publicize the effects of this product on the environment and raise awareness about the risks entailed by its uncontrolled use.
