Pollution from pesticides, a global problem
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Anwarul Iqbal
Chemically polluted runoff from fields has contaminated surface and ground waters, damaged fisheries, destroyed freshwater ecosystems and created growing "dead zones" in oceans close to the mouths of rivers that drain agricultural regions. Local agricultural pollution has now become a global problem, as toxic compounds from pesticides accumulate in oceanic food chains. Even the tissues of land mammals in "pristine" polar regions now contain significant toxic accumulations.
Although health and environmental effects of chemical pesticides are severe, information until now remains largely anecdotal. To a significant degree, there is also a general lack of reliable data on pesticide use in developing countries due to the high cost of primary farm-level data collection. The multilateral organisations have launched a research programme to reduce this knowledge gap. This research programme examines the severity of toxic agricultural pollution and analyses the potential for adopting safer production methods.
The research on Toxic Pollution from Agriculture: Costs and Remedies began to study pesticide residues in agricultural crops imported into the US, primarily from Latin American countries, and as reported by the US Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Data Programme. The findings suggest that farmers and consumers in developing countries are exposed to higher levels of toxic pesticides compared to the situation in higher income countries. A subsequent research explored the determinants of pesticide use in Brazil using municipal-level agricultural census data. Municipalities with higher shares of large-scale operations specializing in export crops were dominant pesticide users.
The next series of studies explored the economics of pesticide use at the farm-level with several surveys investigating pesticide overuse, pesticide misperceptions and health. Studies focused on two countries: Bangladesh and Vietnam. Pesticide overuse, misuse, lack of formal training and inadequate protection while handling pesticides were all found to be widespread. The consequences of these factors on human and environmental health could be quite serious. In the absence of reliable secondary information on the health effects of pesticide use, several studies were constructed to assess the relative health impacts. Farmer perceptions of own-health were recorded, clinical exams, blood and skin tests were performed.
As a substitute for pesticide use, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the methods of organic agriculture can offer cleaner production methods without many of the negative externalities mentioned above. Initiatives were launched in Bangladesh and Cuba to learn from farmers' experience. However, externality problems make it difficult for farmers to adopt cleaner production alternatives, individually. The ongoing research in Vietnam is examining the role of the community and collective action in IPM adoption.
(The writer, a researcher works for an NGO)
Chemically polluted runoff from fields has contaminated surface and ground waters, damaged fisheries, destroyed freshwater ecosystems and created growing "dead zones" in oceans close to the mouths of rivers that drain agricultural regions. Local agricultural pollution has now become a global problem, as toxic compounds from pesticides accumulate in oceanic food chains. Even the tissues of land mammals in "pristine" polar regions now contain significant toxic accumulations.
Although health and environmental effects of chemical pesticides are severe, information until now remains largely anecdotal. To a significant degree, there is also a general lack of reliable data on pesticide use in developing countries due to the high cost of primary farm-level data collection. The multilateral organisations have launched a research programme to reduce this knowledge gap. This research programme examines the severity of toxic agricultural pollution and analyses the potential for adopting safer production methods.
The research on Toxic Pollution from Agriculture: Costs and Remedies began to study pesticide residues in agricultural crops imported into the US, primarily from Latin American countries, and as reported by the US Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Data Programme. The findings suggest that farmers and consumers in developing countries are exposed to higher levels of toxic pesticides compared to the situation in higher income countries. A subsequent research explored the determinants of pesticide use in Brazil using municipal-level agricultural census data. Municipalities with higher shares of large-scale operations specializing in export crops were dominant pesticide users.
The next series of studies explored the economics of pesticide use at the farm-level with several surveys investigating pesticide overuse, pesticide misperceptions and health. Studies focused on two countries: Bangladesh and Vietnam. Pesticide overuse, misuse, lack of formal training and inadequate protection while handling pesticides were all found to be widespread. The consequences of these factors on human and environmental health could be quite serious. In the absence of reliable secondary information on the health effects of pesticide use, several studies were constructed to assess the relative health impacts. Farmer perceptions of own-health were recorded, clinical exams, blood and skin tests were performed.
As a substitute for pesticide use, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the methods of organic agriculture can offer cleaner production methods without many of the negative externalities mentioned above. Initiatives were launched in Bangladesh and Cuba to learn from farmers' experience. However, externality problems make it difficult for farmers to adopt cleaner production alternatives, individually. The ongoing research in Vietnam is examining the role of the community and collective action in IPM adoption.
(The writer, a researcher works for an NGO)