Study: Nearly Half of World's Farmers Poisoned by Pesticides Each Year
Theo Pippa Neill, The Guardian
A new study reveals that nearly half of the world's farmers suffer acute pesticide poisoning each year, impacting an estimated 402-433 million people. The research highlights India as the epicenter, accounting for nearly 60% of the approximately 11,000 annual deaths, and urges immediate global action to phase out highly hazardous pesticides.
A study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health on January 15 reveals that nearly half of the world's farmers experience pesticide poisoning each year. Commissioned by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), the research is based on publicly available data from 2006 to 2023.
According to the study, an estimated 402 to 433 million cases of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning occur among farmers and agricultural workers annually. With a global agricultural workforce of approximately 934 million people, this means about 46% of farmers are poisoned each year.
South Asia has the highest estimated number of poisoning cases, followed by Southeast Asia and East Africa. The country with the highest poisoning rate is Burkina Faso in West Africa, where nearly 84% of farmers and agricultural workers have reported being poisoned.
The study also found about 11,000 deaths per year due to pesticide poisoning, with nearly 60% of these occurring in India. Jayakumar Chelaton, Executive Director of PAN India, commented that the study has exposed a “crisis that can no longer be ignored.”
The authors of the study call for “immediate action,” including implementing United Nations recommendations to phase out highly hazardous pesticides. The research points out that despite global efforts to warn of the dangers, pesticide use continues to rise steadily, with 3.8 million tons used in 2023—double the amount in 1990.
Dr. Sheila Willis, Head of International Programmes at PAN UK, emphasized: “Now that the scale of the suffering has been exposed, farmers must be supported to access safer alternatives to protect their health and that of their families.”
The study did not consider the impact of pesticide exposure on the approximately 84 million children working in agriculture, nor did it examine long-term health effects. Acute pesticide poisoning is defined as any illness or health effect occurring shortly after exposure.
Speaking at a webinar hosted by Friends of the Earth Europe earlier this year, Rendert Algra stated he believes his Parkinson's disease is linked to the pesticides he used while working on his family's farm in the Netherlands. “As the eldest son, I sprayed pesticides on our fields for years on end,” he said.
Génon Jensen, Executive Director of the Health and Environment Alliance, expressed concern about “the devastating health impacts from pesticide poisoning—both the acute effects discussed in this study as well as the chronic exposure that farmworkers and communities endure.” Hélène Nicora, Director General of Parkinson's Europe, noted there is also “overwhelming evidence” that Parkinson's is an environmental disease, with mounting evidence linking pesticide exposure to the development of the condition.
Farmers and agricultural workers are primarily exposed to pesticides during mixing and spraying, as well as when coming into contact with treated crops and contaminated equipment or clothing. Although this is the strongest study to date, the report still emphasizes that existing information on pesticide poisoning is incomplete, and the authors call for standardized monitoring and reporting procedures to make pesticide-related poisoning cases reliable and comparable.
