Countries join hands to fight pollution from agriculture

Seven countries have joined forces in latest bid to reduce pollution from the agricultural sector.

The governments of Ecuador, India, Kenya, Laos, the Philippines, Uruguay and Vietnam have launched a $379 million (Sh50.9 billion) initiative to combat pollution from the use of pesticides and plastics in agriculture.

Chemicals play a crucial role in farming, with nearly 4 billion tonnes of pesticides and 12 billion kg of agricultural plastics used every year.

Despite their benefits for food yields, they pose significant risks to human health and the environment.

Eleven thousand people die from toxic effects of pesticides annually and chemical residues can degrade ecosystems, diminishing soil health and farmers’ resilience to climate change.

The open burning of agricultural plastics has contributed to air pollution crisis responsible for one in nine deaths worldwide.

Highly hazardous pesticides and mismanaged agricultural plastics release persistent organic pollutants — chemicals that do not break down in the environment and contaminate air, water and food.

These inputs are generally cheaper than sustainable alternatives, giving farmers little incentive to adopt better practices.

The Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management Programme led by Unep with financial support from the Global Environment Facility, seeks to help farmers adopt low and non-chemical alternatives to toxic agrochemicals and facilitate a transition towards better practices.

The five-year programme is projected to prevent more than 51,000 tonnes of hazardous pesticides and more than 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste from being released.

This, as it prevents 35,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and protects more than three million hectares of land from degradation.

"Our current agricultural system relies on harmful chemicals, this is not necessary. FARM offers a powerful alternative model, empowering farmers with the knowledge and resources to transition to sustainable practices that safeguard our health and environment and also boost yields and profits,” said Anil Sookdeo, Chemicals Coordinator at GEF.

To do this, the FARM programme will support government regulation to phase out POPs containing agrochemicals and agri-plastics.

It will also adopt better management standards, while strengthening banking, insurance and investment criteria to improve the availability of effective pest control, production alternatives and trade in sustainable produce.

“Food productivity and safety are reliant on identifying better practices and safer alternatives to highly hazardous pesticides,” said Unep director of Industry and Economy Sheila Aggarwal-Khan.

“Adoption is key to scaling these alternatives. There is no real option other than a strong, coordinated response to the pollution crisis.”

The FARM launch event had representatives from the seven countries, more than 100 partners and stakeholders, including public and private banks, policy makers and farmer cooperatives.

Agrochemical and plastic manufacturers, international organisations, civil society groups, academia and retailers were also represented.

The programme marks a step change in collaborative efforts between governments, financial institutions, farmers and manufacturers to combat agricultural pollution and pave way for a more equitable and resilient food system.

GEF is a multilateral fund dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution and strains on land and ocean health.

Its grants, blended financing and policy support help developing countries address their biggest environmental priorities and adhere to international environmental conventions.

Over the past three decades GEF has provided more than $24 billion in financing and mobilised another $138 billion for more than 5,700 national and regional projects.