Use of pesticides good but poses health risks

Dar es Salaam. Food is now a major concern to consumers across the world given the fact that there is an increase in the level of understanding and public health awareness on food selection.

There has been of recent an increase in the application of pesticides in crop production. This has increased trade in green food exports such as vegetables, fruits and herbs from African to European markets.

However, poor agricultural practices, including misuse of pesticides, poses health risks to farmers and communities and can lead to high residues in food products that reach consumers. Internationally, trade is affected when contaminated products are discovered in consignments and importers reject them altogether.

Although pesticide application leads to pest control, pesticides may also harm useful insects, animals, fish and other aquatic species and pollute water sources, thus aggravating health risks.

Tanzania, as any other country in the East African Community bloc, must revolutionise agriculture to meet growing national demands for nutritious and safe food and increase agricultural exports. But such agricultural revolution needs precaution as it may easily lead to higher use of pesticides and other agrichemicals and depletion of national resources such as water.

Use of pesticides

Pesticides refer to any substance or a mixture of substances or microorganisms, including viruses, intended to repel, destroy or control any pest, including vectors of human or animal disease, nuisance pests, unwanted species of plants or animals causing harm during or otherwise interfering with production, processing, storage, transport or marketing of food, agricultural commodities, wood products or animal feeds or which may be administered to animals for the control of insects, arachnids or other pests in or on their bodies.

Benefits of pesticides

Pesticides have numerous beneficial effects, including crop protection, preservation of food and prevention of vector-borne diseases for crops. Without them, it is hardly possible to get good harvest.

Due to an increase in the number of pests and diseases, which tend to infect plants in farms – that can lead to low production, low quality yields, pesticides are important for crop production and management.

Agricultural experts say that land is becoming scarce, and this calls for application of pesticides to maximise production. However, a major challenge especially to smallholder farmers and agro dealers is lack of awareness especially on side effects and agro-guides.

Lack of these skills has been among the root cause of water and soil pollution – resulting from improper repackaging and poor pesticide disposals like burning of wastes and obsolete pesticides.

Mr Boniface Mgaya, an agricultural extension officer in Nkasi District, Rukwa Region, says that public awareness on storage is still a big concern due to limited access to education and information. He says although there is an increase in the number of people using pesticides in crop production, there is lack of knowledge on how to handle them, so the majority of farmers are exposed to health risks.

Gaps that need to be addressed

Currently, there have been a wide range of pesticides that are used for pest management and vector control in agriculture, but the majority of farmers are not adequately informed about the hazards associated with them.

As a result, farmers use pesticides without full understanding of their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Some of them, for instance, have been exposed to pesticides in fields, during pesticide application, weeding, pruning, harvesting or in dealing with house insects like mosquitoes, cockroaches, fleas and flies.

Mr Mgaya notes that improper pesticide storage may lead to acute and/or chronic exposure with adverse health consequences. Although inhalation, dermal and oral routes of exposure are common, pesticide residues in food and water may add to indirect exposure.

Policy frameworks and regulatory issues in Tanzania on the subject are still a critical challenge, as they tend to address general chemical management, but there is lack of a specific policy framework on management of these chemicals resulting from inadequate sectoral collaboration and coordination as regards chemical management in the country.

As such, this situation hinders the effective management in the distribution of chemicals, just as their production, which is mainly done by the private sector with inadequate regulations as far as the management of chemicals is concerned.

Moreover, the private sector on the other hand lacks the expertise and training in chemical handling as there has been less investment in training of personnel and users on safe use of chemicals and the importance of protective clothing.

It is also clear that investment chemical infrastructure such as laboratories, appropriate transportation and chemical storage facilities, for both transit goods and in depots for sales/distribution are still not good.

There is often repackaging of chemicals in unsuitable containers or packets locally or with unqualified personnel in sales points. Worse still is the fact that self-regulation and protection of human health and the environment is very low as a result, not only are members of the public at great health risks, but also the environment can potentially be polluted.

To address this situation there is, however, a number of government initiatives and projects as well as increased number of non-governmental organisations, which deal with environmental issues through sustainable agriculture, such as organic farming.

These, however, are still limited with little expertise and experience. These supporting organisations are more effective as pressure groups and in disseminating information to members of the public. In fact, these organisations are voluntary, donor-funded and sometimes underfunded, young and inexperienced