The primary benefits of pesticide use in agriculture are gains that can be expected to be directly associated with the action of the pesticide. For example, an effect of the pesticide killing caterpillars results in improved yields and quality of cabbage. In total, 26 primary benefits are expected, ranging from protected recreational turf to saving human lives. The benefits resulting from secondary effects, on the other hand, may be less obvious, have long-term effects, and are more difficult to identify cause and effect.
Reduces waste
In the past, FAO has surveyed the status of pesticide management in a number of countries. These surveys have shown major gaps in various areas including legislative frameworks, regulatory control and quality assurance. However, these studies also revealed regional differences, which could inform future strategies to optimize pesticide management. In addition to these global trends, countries across the globe are demonstrating a growing awareness of the importance of pesticide management.
The majority of agricultural waste comes from fertilizers. These contain nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that can end up in aquatic environments. While these compounds are essential to crop growth, they also contribute to eutrophication, a condition where nutrient-rich soils harm organisms. While it can be caused by natural processes, human activity contributes to most cases of eutrophication.
However, despite the benefits of pesticides, they also pose risks to human health. Proper use and disposal of these chemicals are vital to the protection of human and environmental health. As a result, the Sustainable Development Goals Target 12.4 calls for the effective management of chemical waste and reduces the adverse effects on human health. In the long run, this goal is essential. Moreover, the reduction of harmful residues in food and the use of microbial pesticides may help to reduce the risk of adverse effects.
One of the most common problems associated with pesticide use is improper application. Overapplying a pesticide product can cause significant waste. Incorrect application can limit the effectiveness of the product, which means additional applications are necessary to combat the pest. Overestimating the volume of pesticide required to control a pest may also lead to excessive application, which increases the risk of contamination. To minimize the risk of these problems, proper pre-application calculations are essential.
Improves crop quality
Although the main motivation for pesticide use in agriculture is the reduction of crop loss, there are other important functions of these chemicals in agricultural production. Pesticides improve crop quality, extend storage life, and decrease the risk of production. These benefits are important considerations in pesticide use, but they are often overlooked. In this article, we will discuss a few key examples of pesticides in agriculture. Listed below are the three most common types and their uses.
Preventive treatment has several advantages over reactive treatments. It is cost-effective when the probability of pest damage is low, the farmer does not have insurance, and the crop’s value is high. Then again, it is costly to conduct scouting, and the efficacy of rescue treatments are limited. Despite the cost and risk, the benefits of preventive treatment far outweigh these disadvantages.
The use of fungicides has increased dramatically, especially in cotton. This is largely because the eradication of the boll weevil has led to increased cotton production. Likewise, fungicides are widely used on vegetables and potatoes. However, their use is less common on other crops. Only 10% of cotton is treated with fungicides regularly. Other pesticides widely used in agriculture are soil fumigants and defoliants.
Increases yield
The increase in crop output that comes from the use of pesticides is often estimated. Zilberman and colleagues have estimated that for every dollar that is spent on pesticides, an additional USD three to six is generated. Most of the benefit of this increased yield goes to consumers in the form of lower prices of food. But there are some concerns about this estimation. Let’s look at some possible explanations.
The use of pesticides varies with the type of crop, location, climate, and user needs. Pesticides protect crops from plant disease, which is devastating to crop production. During the potato famine in the mid-nineteenth century, researchers resorted to using plant pathology to prevent this disaster. Since then, synthetic pesticides have improved agricultural productivity and efficiency. Consequently, there are fewer farmers per acre, and fewer farms are producing more food.
There are a few benefits to pesticide use, however. They can save farmers billions of dollars in crop losses annually and increase their income. They also have environmental benefits, which can increase farm productivity and help maintain high living standards. But they may be more expensive than conventional chemical-intensive agricultural practices. And they often fail to take into account the social and environmental costs of pesticide use. In addition to the economic benefits of using pesticides, there are some trade-offs, including those associated with health and environmental quality.
Prevents disease transmission
The use of pesticides in agriculture has significant implications for human health and food security. The prevention and control of plant diseases can help prevent the transmission of disease to consumers. However, the measures used to protect against pests and diseases may also adversely affect agricultural workers and consumers. They may also act as carriers of harmful microbial toxins. The prevalence of food-borne diseases has increased over the years. Moreover, pesticide use has been associated with reduced incidence of diseases such as typhus and plague.
The most common form of exposure to pesticides occurs during agricultural activities. People who work in agriculture and pest control are regularly exposed to high concentrations of pesticides. Typical activities that pose a risk to human health include mixing, applying, hand harvesting, and weeding. Workers also often unknowingly expose their families to pesticide residues by washing their work clothes with the laundry. This way, the risk of transmission of disease is significantly reduced.
Proper timing and placement of pesticides is essential in limiting their impact on natural enemies. To reduce pesticide impact on these organisms, use less persistent pesticides. The best method to limit contact between pesticides and natural enemies is to use less pervasive chemicals and to apply them in areas where pests are high in density. Depending on the mobility of these creatures, spot application in high-density areas may not affect their presence.
Improves environmental quality
A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) indicates that our agricultural practices are not sustainable, with toxic pesticide residues polluting air, water and soil. Pesticide use is also destroying the natural resources needed for agricultural production, contributing to pest resistance, the degradation of soil and biodiversity and the loss of countless species. A report by the BASIC NGO estimates that pesticides contribute to the deaths and poisoning of 44 percent of farmers each year.
There are several benefits of pesticides, including reducing the economic and ecological costs of crop losses. By controlling pests, they improve crop yields and increase economic returns. These compounds also enhance the effectiveness of a pesticide against its target species and reduce the incidence of pesticide resistance. Ecological selectivity refers to changing an operational procedure to minimize the destruction of non-target organisms. Using insecticides that are more toxic to the target species and less toxic to the natural enemies of the pests can help reduce the risks associated with resurgence.
Despite the benefits of pesticide use, the adverse impacts far outweigh these gains. Pesticide use has detrimental effects on various environmental components, including increased pest populations, decreased beneficial organisms, and altered microbial communities. The persistence of these chemicals has resulted in the spread of these compounds into higher trophic levels, which can impact human health. The effects of pesticides on ecosystems are many and varied.
Costs
The costs of pesticide use in agriculture are not directly observed but are estimated through a partial budget model that combines yield and cost estimates of alternative production scenarios. Typically, crop budgets are used to determine per-acre production costs. These changes are then incorporated into models of agricultural commodity markets that project output prices and consumption in market equilibrium. This approach has many limitations, though, and needs further research to provide reliable estimates.
It is not only the cost of increased crop yields that is being overlooked by pesticides; their use also damages other ecosystem services such as pollination and nutrient availability. Insect pollination is essential for the agricultural industry as it supports the annual crop yield. Insects, birds and bees are also harmed by the use of pesticides. In addition, conventional pesticide use contaminates soil and critical zone compartments, which are particularly damaging in monocrop farming systems.
Agricultural pesticides have serious impacts on the environment and human health, and their use is sensitive to climate change. Climate changes affect both insect pressure and optimal application rates, which can lead to a higher pesticide bill. In the study, researchers estimated that the external cost of pesticide use in agriculture was US$42 per hectare, and this figure is projected to increase by fivefold by two hundred years. These estimates are still only estimates, but are nevertheless indicative of the extent of pesticide use and their costs.