Almost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticides every year

A new study published in Frontiers in Public Health shows that over 400 million of the world’s farmers and farmworkers suffer from acute pesticide poisoning annually. This total excludes the 84 million children working in global agriculture who are even more vulnerable to toxic chemicals than adults, as well as rural families exposed through spray drift and environmental exposure. Action is urgently needed to remove the most poisonous pesticides from agriculture and to replace them with safer alternatives.

Farmers and farmworkers are mainly exposed to pesticides during preparation and application, as well as when touching treated crops and contaminated equipment or clothing. Farmers may also consume highly contaminated food. Acute pesticide poisoning is any illness or health effect experienced a short time after exposure (for example, within 48 hours) and frequently observed symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting and skin rashes. It should be noted that repeated exposure over time might not cause immediate symptoms but can lead to very serious illnesses.

The study found that the greatest number of non-fatal poisoning cases was in southern Asia, followed by Southeast Asia and East Africa. The highest single national incidence was in Burkina Faso, where nearly 84% of farmers and farmworkers experienced unintentional acute pesticide poisonings (UAPP) each year.

Total fatalities around the world from unintended pesticide poisonings are estimated at around 11,000 deaths per year. Nearly 60% of these occurred in just one country, India, indicating serious problems with pesticide use, according to the researchers.

“Meticulous new research has revealed that nearly 50% of the world’s farmers and farm workers suffer from acute pesticide poisoning each year. Systemic failures in data collection have masked this global public health crisis. Underreporting remains widespread, driven by limited access to healthcare and a lack of clinical training or systems to recognise or record pesticide poisoning. Now that the scale of suffering has been revealed, farmers must be supported to access safer alternatives to protect their health and that of their families.” Dr Sheila Willis, Head of International Programmes, Pesticide Action Network UK.

When highly dangerous pesticides are marketed and sold as everyday goods, widespread poisoning is an inevitable consequence. Blaming farmers for pesticide harm unfairly shifts the whole responsibility onto individuals operating within severe economic and practical constraints. Contract farmers are often legally required to use specific chemical inputs, while growers rely heavily on advice from agrochemical representatives due to a lack of independent agroecological guidance. Furthermore, personal protective equipment is frequently too costly and impractical in hot climates.

The heavy burden of non-fatal unintended pesticide poisonings, particularly for farmers and farmworkers, brings into focus the current policy bias towards focusing only on fatalities, and the need to more seriously address the overall pesticide poisoning problem in international and national policies and regulations.

The implementation of the recommendation by the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to phase out highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs), and Target A7 of the Global Framework on Chemicals to phase out HHPs by 2035, could significantly reduce the burden of UAPP if supported.

Javier Souza Casadinho, Regional Coordinator for PAN Latin America, stated: “In Latin America, the use of pesticides – including those banned in Europe – has increased dramatically over the last 25 years following the development of monocultures using genetically modified seeds. Not only are farmers and workers exposed, but so too are families living near the fields that have been sprayed. Children, in particular, are the most affected in terms of their health, given the impact these pesticides have on the endocrine system. Agroecology is the way forward to reduce – and ultimately eliminate – the use of pesticides, whilst producing healthy food.”

“Women in Africa face higher risks from pesticide exposure due to heavy involvement in farming, weeding, and harvesting. They often lack protective gear, safety training, and control over resources, leading to acute and chronic health issues that can also threaten unborn or breastfed children. Even if they were available, protective gear is also not preferred given the hot climate around the year”, said Ms. Dorah Swai, the PAN Anglophone Africa Coordinator.

“The high number of non-fatal, unintentional pesticide poisonings makes it clear that the usual focus on fatalities is not enough. Rather, it is necessary to take a more comprehensive approach to the problem of pesticide poisoning and improve international and national measures for tracking and preventing pesticide poisonings,” said Susan Haffmans, Senior Adviser on Pesticides and International Cooperation at PAN Germany. “We can no longer accept that those who work in the fields and grow our food are exposed to harmful pesticides and become sick. The new findings underscore the urgency of promoting chemical-free crop protection and banning highly hazardous pesticides.”

“We are alarmed but not surprised that South and South-East Asia is leading the list of regions with the highest estimated number of non-fatal acute poisonings” said Sarojeni Rengam, Executive Director of PAN Asia Pacific. “We have daily proof of the acute and chronic suffering of farmers, agricultural workers, women, and rural communities in our region. Yet, what is often overlooked is that this is also a region rich in farmers’ knowledge, experience, and skills in agroecology. Across Asia, communities are demonstrating that sustainable, pesticide-free food systems are not only possible but are already being practised and strengthened by farmers themselves.” 

“Behind these staggering numbers are farmers, workers and families paying a terrible human price for pesticide exposure. South Asia is bearing an enormous burden, with highly hazardous pesticides such as paraquat implicated in devastating poisoning incidents. This research exposes a crisis that can no longer be ignored. This research puts a human face on a crisis too often overlooked and makes clear that safer, non-chemical alternatives must become the priority to grow our food” added Jayakumar Chelaton, Executive Director of PAN India.

“The world’s biggest pesticide companies — Syngenta, Bayer /Monsanto, Corteva and BASF — produce some of the most hazardous pesticides on the planet,” said Allison Davis, Executive Director at PAN North America. “While these companies reap immense profits every year from their aggressive promotion and sale of dangerous pesticides, it is the farmers and workers in the Global South who bear the costs and pay with their health and lives. In allowing these corporations to sell chemicals often restricted or banned at home, our governments have failed utterly in their duties to protect and uphold the universal human right to health.”

The systematic review entitled “Worldwide unintentional acute pesticide poisonings: reassessing the occupational and non-occupational burden” includes poisoning data from a selected total of 139 countries, including 62 countries covered by 214 scientific articles and 77 countries covered by data from the WHO Mortality Database. Most studies focused on occupational poisonings, particularly of farmers and agricultural workers. The review included data from 2006 to 2023.

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Pesticide Action Network International (PAN) is a global coalition of over 600 participating non-governmental organizations, institutions and individuals in 90 countries, working to replace hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives. Founded in 1982, PAN works to end reliance on hazardous pesticides and achieve health, resilience and justice in food and farming. PAN advocates for agroecology as a powerful solution to the negative effects of chemical-intensive agriculture and the converging planetary and societal crises of climate chaos, biodiversity loss, pollution and failing public health. PAN situates its work within a rights-based approach that prioritizes agroecology, food sovereignty and climate justice. You can find more information at https://pan-international.org.