AVOIDING OR REDUCING 

PESTICIDE HAZARDS IN AFRICA



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National pesticide risk reduction programme in Ethiopia 

Read about this initiative on the PRRP website: prrp-ethiopia.org


The 'FAO Code' - primary guiding principle for pesticide management in Africa? 

CropLife International has called upon FAO, WHO, UNEP and other 'code owners' to promote the Code as the primary guiding principle for chemicals (read 'agrochemicals' or 'pesticides') management. Source: CropLife International, Crop 

Protection Stewardship - Vision 2020.

Despite endorsement by most if not all FAO member states in Africa (see endorsements of July 2009), the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides is not widely adopted and implemented in African national pesticide legislation. In 2007, the latest survey indicated that in Africa only Burkina Faso, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Seychelles and South Africa had implemented the provisions of the Code as the basis for a comprehensive life-cycle approach to pesticide management. 

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Translations - an unjust comparison? 
  • John Bunyan: Pilgrim's Progress (1678) --- translated to 200 languages
  • Quran (650) --- 102 languages
  • Lewis Caroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) --- 97 languages
  • Astrid Lindgren --- Pippi Longstocking (1945) --- 64 languages
  • Alexander McCall Smith: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998) --- 30 languages
Source: en.wikipedia.org

  • NIOSH: International chemical safety cards (ongoing) --- 17 languages ¤
  • FAO: International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides (2002) --- 7 languages ¤¤ 

¤  Chinese, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese

¤¤ Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German (non-UN translation), Russian and Spanish.   



Worst pests 
Visit BBC NEWS to find out about 
  •     Worst historical pest
  •     Hardest pest control
  •     Most expensive pest to control
  •     Pest of greatest human impact    
  •     Worst stored product pest
  •     Most imminent threat
  •     Most resilient pest


Global pesticide market estimates for 2014 and 2016
World pesticide demand in 2014 is predicted to reach USD 52 000 million (to be compared with USD 45 000 million in 2009 and USD 37 000 million in 2004). Demand in Africa/Middle East is predicted to increase from USD 1 300 million in 2004 to USD 2 200 million in 2014. 

The global market for 'crop protection chemicals', in terms of active ingredient volume is expected to reach 2.9 million tons in 2016 (to be compared with 2.4 million tons in 2010). No data for Africa/Middle East. 


Put farming first 
Watch Farming First's green economy video


Slogans for a better world   
  
    'Meeting challenges in a growing world'    
    'Do good - Do no harm'  
    'Fiat panis' (Latin for 'let there be bread')
    'Grow more from less'
    'Don't be evil'    
    'Yes they can!'
    'We try harder'
    'We bring good things to life'
    'Just do it'

Slogans used by the World Bank, FAO - the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Swedish public health professor Hans Rosling, and six major business entities. (Random order)


PIC pesticides in context
The Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure of the Rotterdam Convention currently covers 26 individually named pesticides (active ingredients); all mercury compounds used as pesticides; tributyltin pesticides; selected formulated products ('severely hazardous formulations') of three active ingredients; and selected mixed formulations of another three active ingredients. 


POPs pesticides in context  

Out of 887 chlorinated pesticides twenty-five are often referred to as organochlorines based on intrinsic characteristics as well as chemical composition. Out of the twenty-five fourteen are further characterized as cyclodienes of which four are 'drins'. Fourteen of the twenty-five are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention. 
 

africa-watercress.pngThe Gothenburg Award for 2011 awarded to Mr Kofi Annan and the Tigray Project (Ethiopia) 







OISAT field guides 

PAN Germany has published the 13th field guide (on sweet potato production) in a series on non-chemical pest management in the tropics. Each field guide focuses on just one crop and deals with all relevant information on how to manage agricultural pests without using chemical pesticides. Two field guides focus on a specific pesticide to be avoided. Read more here


The world's top ten toxic pollution problems 2011  

Using data collected over the past three years from thousands of toxic hotspots, the The World’s Worst Toxic Pollution Problems 2011 Report identifies the top ten toxic pollution threats, and for the first time, calculates their health impacts. Released by the Blacksmith Institute in collaboration with Green Cross Switzerland, the report reveals the most targeted picture of pollution’s toll to date. Research and documentation of this scale has never been done before, and the crucial information gathered in the report will help to prioritize life-saving cleanup efforts.

Read more here

 
Out of ten major threats (in 2011) pesticide pollution from agricultural production ranks as No 3. Pesticide pollution from pesticide manufacturing and storage ranks as No 10.   
In 2010, pesticides ranked as problem area 5 out of six major toxic threats.
In 2009, removing DDT from Old Korogwe in Tanzania was one of that year's twelve  most successful cases of cleanup.
     

UNITAR supports national SAICM portal
... but fails to update its own national profile website 

Kenya has established a SAICM Kenya web portal suported by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). The portal has a link to Kenya's new  National Profile on Chemicals Management (click here). The portal also contains a link to Kenya's Chemical Policy for Implementing SAICM (click here). 

UNITAR's own National Profile homepage does not mention Kenya among countries in Africa with a National Profile on chemicals management.  



Millennium Villages and sound management of chemicals
 in Africa  



Millennium Villages



Read here  about the Millennium Villages 


Read an extract from the UNECA report here




Most recent update 7 March, 2012 >

 

Chengetedzai mishonga yakakiirwa kure nevana (leaflet in Shona)

Colour codes and pictograms for  pesticide labels

From Arusha to Wittulsberg (stakeholders'  symposium)

Viuatilifu vinadhuru na ni sumo (leaflet in Swahili)

Understanding pesticide labels (English-language

 templet for Swahili 

version)