Almost half of the world's farmers are poisoned by pesticides every year, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. The research, commissioned by Pesticide Action Network, used publicly available data from 2006-2023 to estimate 402-433 million cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning among farmers and farm workers annually.
This figure suggests that approximately 46% of the global farming population, estimated at 934 million, experiences poisoning each year. Southern Asia, south-east Asia, and east Africa recorded the highest estimated numbers of poisonings, with Burkina Faso in west Africa showing the highest national incidence at nearly 84% of farmers and farm workers reportedly affected.
The study also found that an estimated 11,000 deaths occur annually due to pesticide poisoning, with India accounting for nearly 60% of these fatalities. Despite global efforts to highlight the dangers, pesticide use has steadily increased, doubling since 1990 to 3.8 million tonnes in 2023.
The study's authors are calling for immediate action, including the implementation of a UN recommendation to phase out highly hazardous pesticides. Dr Sheila Willis of Pesticide Action Network UK stated that farmers need support to access safer alternatives to protect their health and their families'.
The research defined acute pesticide poisoning as any illness or health effect experienced a short time after exposure. It did not examine the impact on an estimated 84 million children working in agriculture or long-term health effects.