There is an increase in the quality and quantity of crop production worldwide due to pesticide use.
TODAY, MAN has to contend with infestation of crops by weeds, insects and other pests, which often lead to famines. Almost all agricultural crops are vulnerable to some sort of pests, which if left uncontrolled may result in almost complete devastation of crops.
Globally, one third of all crops are lost to pests and in Latin America 40 per cent of everything is lost to weeds and diseases. During the period 1950-1970 there was an increase in the quality and quantity of crop production worldwide due to pesticide use; yields of cotton, potatoes and onions increased by 100, 45 and 55 per cent respectively.
Locally, many of our crops suffer from a number of pests. Local crops that are vulnerable to pests include citrus, callaloo and other vegetables, coffee, banana, cotton and papaya. In the 1990s, the coffee borer (a weevil) devastated acres of coffee fields and threatened others. Endosulfan, a synthetic organochlorine was used to control these pests. Screwworm is another pest that threatens the local cattle industry. Lindane, a synthetic pesticide, was used to control this pest.
Jamaica imports a wide range of pesticides for agricultural and domestic use. These include Gramoxone, Lannate and Dursban. Between March 2001 and April 2002, 1,816,622.9 kg of pesticides were imported, of which 56 per cent was intended for agricultural use and 43 per cent was for domestic use, 7 per cent was raw material used in the manufacture of pesticides locally.
AVAILABLE, AFFORDABLE
Locally, pests need to be controlled and yields maximised so that food crops can be made available and affordable and the business of farming profitable. In Jamaica where crop yields are affected by environmental conditions such as droughts and natural disasters such as hurricanes, maximising crop output is critical.
However, this is not without a cost since a number of these pesticides could remain for a long time in the environment and find their way into the atmosphere (through volatilisation), waterways and in deep layers of soil. Many of these chemicals are carcinogenic (cancer forming). One other negative effect of pesticides is that it has the ability to bio-concentrate and bio-magnify.
Pesticides are used largely for food production. It must not be forgotten that pesticides are also important in disease prevention. Fly baits, ant powder, glue pads for rats, termite sprays are all pesticides. Shelltox, Baygon for spraying roaches and other flying insects are all pesticides which help to make life more comfortable.
The availability and use of synthetic pesticides have contributed to the reduction in the threat of outbreaks of many diseases including Malaria and the Bubonic plague.
So, not only are pesticides indispensable for food production but also for the control of diseases.
