Agriculture, Pesticides and Public Health Food Security, Health and Sustainable Development SDE Seminar towards Rio+20 Catharina Wesseling Program Work, Environment and Health in Central America (SALTRA) IRET – Universidad Nacional Heredia, Costa Rica

Pesticides, food and public health Safe pesticide use policies have been largely insufficient to protect health and environment from deleterious effects of toxic pesticides Pesticides and food insecurity: sufficient availability of sufficiently nutritional food at the household, community, country, continent and global levels “Pesticides are needed to feed increasing world population” vs “Agriculture without or with minimal use of toxic chemicals produce healthier food and on the longer run also more food” Pesticides and food safety: food not causing sickness or harm to the consumer The adverse effects from pesticides on health of farmers and their families, and the health of populations living in regions with intensive agriculture are not sufficiently considered Environmental degradation reducing their livelihood or socioeconomic consequences of pesticide use are not in the picture

Agricultural development High external input agriculture – Promotion of extensive export monocultures with markets dominated by multinationals – Development projects with subsistence farmers emphasize ‘modernization’ First impact indicator is the local agrochemical shop Credit conditioned to technological packages – Free trade has led to d ecreased numbers of smallholders producing basic food and to import of basic food in developing countries

Costa Rica 1970s: Shadow grown coffee replaced by coffee varieties grown without shadow and need for high chemical inputs 1980s: modernization of small farmers 1990s: banana expansion 2000s: pineapple expansion

Pesticide imports in Central America (tons of active ingredients) 2000: : :

Pesticides and food security / food safety Pesticide contamination of water sources, soils, air and food produce health, environmental, agricultural and social adverse effects which interact with regard to food security and food safety: Acute, chronic and delayed health effects affecting current and future generations Genotoxicity; immunologic effects; endocrine disruption; cancer; neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative and psychiatric effects; ……etc, etc….. Intoxications of wildlife and loss of biodiversity Loss of nutritional value of food Loss of beneficial insects, elimination of natural enemies, pest resistance Global decline of bee populations by neonicotinoid insecticides Loss of traditional knowledge of pest control and medicinal values of plants Socioeconomic disruption: bankruptcies, migration, poverty

Some examples Use of chlordecone in Martinique and Guadaloupe on banana plantations between 1973 and 1993 has caused massive contamination of soil, river water and sediments by a substance that remains toxic for centuries DBCP caused sterility of many thousands of banana workers during the 1970s; affected workers claim neurologic effects exacerbated by aging as well as neurologic and behavioral effects in the offspring Exposure to environmental residues from agricultural or household use and food residues of organophosphate pesticides during peri-conception, pregnancy and early childhood produce reproductive and neurodevelopmental effects: low birth weight, delay in psychomotor and cognitive development, and behavioral disorders such as ADHD There is a link between DDT and childhood obesity Laboratory studies Paraquat and mancozeb, early promoters and triggers later in life produce Parkinson’s disease Changes in gene expression with transgenerational actions by vinclozolin and methoxychlor

Final considerations Pesticides do not necessarily increase food availability and wealth among small producers and subsistence farmers Pesticide use is ever increasing on extensive monocultures and have negative impact on surrounding populations and their environment Consumers may also be affected by (multiple) residues Pesticides are a public health threat for current and future generations Food safety and food security are served by policies towards sustainable agricultural technologies without toxic agrochemicals