Agricultural pollution is not a problem only for the industrialized countries. Pollution is also apparent in the less developed countries under different forms: erosion, water pollution by fertilizers and pesticides, landscape degradation, etc. This paper presents the different instruments that help to prevent and/or reduce pollution and analyses their performance. The instruments here considered are: moral persuasion, design standards, performance standards, economic instruments and research. The analysis refers to the economic and environmental efficiency of these instruments as well as to the possibilities of implementation.