How much more pesticides can our Earth take?
The world has a love-hate relationship with pesticides. While pesticides play a significant role in food production, pesticide misuse has resulted in health risks and detrimental consequences for the ecosystem. Can we strike a balance with a better approach?
Pesticides have accelerated crop production for centuries. Early pesticides began with the use of botanicals such as dried plant leaves, sulfur, and salts to ward off insects. As more aggressive fungal diseases and pest outbreaks emerged to plague crops worldwide, pesticides were manufactured with stronger synthetic chemicals. In recent decades, crop intensification and unprecedented population growth have also inevitably led to more pesticide use to increase food production.
Annually, around 4 million metric tons of pesticides are used to protect fruits, vegetables, and grains from pest damage, weeds, and diseases. That’s approximately 12 times the weight of the Empire State Building. It’s an astonishing amount. What’s more,the global consumption of pesticides is expected to increase from 4.3 million metric tons in 2023 to 4.41 million metric tons in 2027. Do we really need this much pesticides to feed the world?
Pesticides: Blessing or Bane?
The claim that using more pesticides can mitigate world hunger is questionable. World hunger is caused by a combination of poverty, inequity, conflict, climate change, and gender discrimination. Yet, we cannot deny the fact that farmers could lose as much as 80% of their crops to insect and animal infestations, weeds, and diseases without pesticide use. As the agricultural sector thrives and climate change worsens, the reliance on pesticides increases significantly.
More food is produced but with trade-offs
For farmers, pesticide use equals the difference between protecting their crops or losing their harvest to diseases. When used responsibly, pesticides protect agricultural produce, increase crop yields, and help boost farmers’ incomes. However, their misuse can cause serious harm to ecosystems and human health.
Loss of biodiversity
Pesticides have a direct impact on insects and invertebrates, which also indirectly affect insect-eating birds and lead to their decline. Additionally, the chemical composition in pesticides can be toxic to other plants and wildlife, adversely disrupting the natural balance in our ecosystems. Non-target species such as pollinators, beneficial insects, and the natural enemies of targeted pests are also negatively affected through direct or indirect contact with pesticide residues. The use of agrochemicals can impede the effectiveness of the natural enemies of target pests. For example, researchers examined the effects of pesticides on a common insect predator and concluded that exposure to some pesticides proved lethal for these predators, and could lead to reduced predation rates on targeted pests.
Environmental contamination
When pesticides are used, only a small amount of pesticides goes to combating plant diseases and exterminating pests. Only 2-5% of what is sprayed sticks to the plant. The rest settles into the soil and gets absorbed by growing crops. Some of these pesticides leave residues and leach into groundwater. In the event of over-irrigation on a treatment site, the excess surface water causes pesticide runoff into neighbouring water channels; contaminating water sources and endangering aquatic plants, animals, and humankind.
Spray drift from pesticides can also pollute the air and contaminate food produce. When chemical pesticides are volatilized, the gaseous substances get diffused into the atmosphere. Pesticide drift can cause harm to nearby fields, farmers, and other non-target and beneficial species. Furthermore, there is a risk of consuming food that has been contaminated by spray drift.
Pesticide resistance
An over-reliance on pesticides has led farmers to apply the same pesticides repeatedly on their farms. While most insects, weeds, and fungal diseases may be eradicated, some can survive and multiply quickly enough to develop a resistance to pesticides. Farmers then either intensify their pesticide application to save their crops or purchase stronger formulas with increased chemical loads - both of which will have dire consequences for public health.
Pesticides are taking a toll on human health
The widespread use of pesticides means that all of us (particularly the elderly, children, and pregnant females) can be exposed to the harmful effects of pesticides. Needless to say, agricultural workers, especially those without protective wear, are most at risk of acute pesticide poisoning. One study estimated about 385 million farmworkers suffer from unintentional, acute pesticide poisoning each year. Exposure to pesticides can be via direct contact, ingestion, or inhalation. Food contamination can be tainted with residual pesticides transmitted from soil and water to the produce that we consume. Studies have shown that pesticide exposure has been associated with potential health risks such as cancers, respiratory and neurological diseases, endocrine disruption, sensory deterioration, and reproductive toxicity.
Can we still protect our crops without loading our ecosystems with more pesticides?
Food supply is not at stake today, and we certainly can’t fall for the myth that we need more pesticides to increase food production for the world. In fact, excessive pesticide use is more likely to threaten food security. The real question should be: how do we feed the world sustainably, and with fewer pesticides?
Perhaps we can start by looking at reducing our reliance on synthetic inputs and focusing on restoring soil and ecosystem health. One such approach is Integrated Pest Management, which utilizes pest biological information, environmental data, and technology to manage pest damage while advocating a greener ecosystem and safer health for humankind. Our RYNAN Insect Monitoring System, for example, uses AI-driven data analytics to effectively manage the unnecessary use of harmful, broad-spectrum pesticides. By using advanced biostatistical models and artificial intelligence to detect, identify, and predict pests, we help farmers make data-driven pest management decisions (e.g. manage and reduce the unnecessary use of chemical inputs).
With fewer chemical inputs, we can help restore the ecological balance of beneficial insects, plants, predators, and microorganisms that perform the natural work of pest/diseases/ weed control. Beneficial insects, birds, and wildlife can return and thrive, and our ecosystem becomes more resilient. On top of that, fewer pesticides mean reduced health risks - something we can all look forward to in the future.
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Written by Jillian Wong
Jillian Wong is a seasoned copywriter with over 15 years of writing experience. She is a content writer and a contributing talent at Chanceupon.co where she blogs about the gig economy and the power of multiple careers. With an opinion on just about any subject, Jillian has written countless articles on new technology, interior decor, sanitaryware, jewelry, and more. When her fingers are not on the keyboard, you can find her working on her jewelry brand.
References:
Forecast agricultural consumption of pesticides worldwide from 2023 to 2027, Statista
A.F. Martinou, N. Seraphides, M.C. Stavrinides, Lethal and behavioral effects of pesticides on the insect predator Macrolophus pygmaeus, ScienceDirect, Volume 96, February 2014, Pages 167-173
Boedeker, W., Watts, M., Clausing, P. et al. The global distribution of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning: estimations based on a systematic review. BMC Public Health 20, 1875 (2020).
Md. Wasim Aktar, Dwaipayan Sengupta, and Ashim Chowdhury, Impact of pesticides use in agriculture: their benefits and hazards, National Library of Medicine, (Mar 2009)
How pesticides impact human health and ecosystems in Europe, European Environment Agency, (26 Apr 2023)