Transitioning towards Pesticide-free food systems: People's Struggles and Imagination
Study by FIAN International
Pesticides are causing a global human rights and environmental catastrophe. They are
responsible for an estimated 200,000 acute poisoning deaths each year. Long-term
exposure can lead to chronic diagnoses like cancer; birth defects and reproductive
harm; and abnormalities in the neurological, developmental, and immune systems.
Runoff from pesticides applied to crops frequently pollutes the surrounding ecosystem
and beyond, with deleterious ecological consequences that exacerbate the loss
of biodiversity. Pesticides can also harm the biodiversity of soils, which can lead to
large declines in crop yields, posing problems for food security.
FIAN’s study investigates how countries are transitioning to agroecology and pesticide-
free food systems. By examining cases in India, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain,
Italy, and the United States (US), FIAN’s study offers a clear diagnosis of the human
rights and environmental problems resulting from pesticides.
It provides a foundation for grassroots movements, local and state governments,
and the international community to create pesticide-free societies that can uphold
the right to a toxic-free environment for all.
Read and download the Study Transitioning towards Pesticide-free food systems: People's Struggles and Imagination
See also the report Pesticides in Latin America: Violations Against the Right to Adequate Food and Nutrition
