Reduce environmental, health pesticide risks

By Michael J. Ssali
Posted 


Wednesday, March 2  

2016 at 

14:25

Last November, UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) called upon governments, particularly those from developing countries, to revise and update their national regulatory frameworks governing management of pesticides.

FAO launched its International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides 30 years ago but there is concern that many national frameworks for managing agro-chemicals, particularly pesticides, need upgrades for today’s challenges.

“Pesticide legislation formulated in the eighties and nineties needs a health check-up to ensure that countries are effectively protecting people and the environment,” warned Ren Wang, FAO’s assistant director general for agriculture and consumer safety.

A news release, dated November 25, 2015, indicated that the use of pesticides continued to grow over the past three decades.

The global pesticide market has doubled over the past 15 years, exceeding $50b in annual sales. To alleviate the challenges, FAO and WHO released updated guidelines on pesticide legislation and labelling that take into account new developments and concerns.

In Uganda, precautionary measures could include routine vigorous inspection of agro-chemical shops by government agencies to ensure they meet these guidelines.

At a recent Usaid-funded farmers’ workshop in Masaka, it was discovered that many agro-chemical shop owners lacked technical training to dispense the products they sold. Also, agricultural extension services do not trickle down to all the farmers that need guidance in handling toxic chemicals.

Yet they use pesticides to protect food crops like beans, maize, tomatoes, pepper, irish potatoes and maize among many others.

Most farmers cannot read and understand the labels or literature that come with the pesticides. Yet they are expected to know what quantity to apply, when and how with the health and safety of the consumer as well as the environment in mind.