The pesticides not only affect the health of those who consume these farm produce, but also the farmers who use them

Success in agriculture is closely linked to increased use of pesticides. Even though humans have been using chemicals for controlling pests since time immemorial, the rampant use of toxic chemicals like arsenic, mercury, lead etc started during the early 20th century. The green revolution that focussed on increasing the productivity of crops expedited its usage. Pesticides are chemical compounds specifically formulated to combat and eliminate pests. 

This category includes a wide range of substances used to control and eliminate many types of organisms, such as plants, insects, nematodes, molluscs, fish, birds, rodents, bacteria, fungi, and lampreys. Herbicides are the most widespread type of pesticide, accounting for nearly 50% of pesticide consumption worldwide.

Predominantly, pesticides are designed to serve as botanical defence agents, shielding plants from the threats of weeds, fungi, or insects. A pesticide is a chemical molecule, like carbamate, or a biological agent, such as a virus, bacterium, or fungus, that prevents, incapacitates, eliminates, or otherwise discourages pests.

Various scientific studies have shown that pesticide exposure is linked with health issues like cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, birth diseases, reproduction disorders etc. They even harm the ecosystem balance. Presently every vegetable, fruit or spice that is produced in our country has the residues of pesticides. The pesticides not only affect the health of the consumers, but they also badly affect the farmers who use them. The farmers are exposed through skin, inhalation and ingestion during the application of these pesticides.

The common adage ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is no longer relevant today. Millions of tonnes of chemicals like chlorpyrifos, mancozeb, captan, dimethoate, phosalone etc are used by the orchard farmers in the once pristine Kashmir valley itself.

The unscrupulous use of these chemicals has resulted in the increased incidence of brain tumours among the orchard farmers. In spices like cardamom that everyone chews raw as a mouth freshener, the presence of highly toxic ‘cypermethrin’ has been reported. Sometimes the adverse effects of these pesticides are so severe that it is affecting many generations. For example, the notorious case of aerial spraying of endosulfan in Kerala for over 20 years, caused congenital anomalies associated with the brain, like mental retardation and cerebral palsy.

Even though the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has outlined instructions for the safe use of pesticides, which include the use of protective clothing to cover the whole body while handling, these are not effective and mostly not followed in principle. Even in farms managed by the government, no one is concerned about the lives of farmers or workers. A few years back researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (InStem), Bangalore led by Praveen K. Vemula developed a gel, poly-Oxim, to give protection to farmers. The gel functions as a catalyst to render organophosphate inactive.  Unfortunately, these technologies have not reached the grassroots level.

Unlike medicines prescribed for human consumption that need the prescription of a qualified medical practitioner, pesticides can be easily bought directly from the stockist. The government needs to restrict the sale of pesticides. The pesticides should be sold only with a prescription from a local agriculture officer or recognised agricultural graduate. This will reduce the unscrupulous use of these toxic chemicals. The Govt should promote organic farming by providing incentives to farmers.

(The writer is an adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluruc; views are personal)