Pesticides, environment, and food safety
TL;DR: Current and future increase in food production must go along with production of food with better quality and with less toxic contaminants, which requires more cautious use of agrochemical through prior testing, careful risk assessment, and licensing.
Abstract: Agrochemicals have enabled to more than duplicate food production during the last century, and the current need to increase food production to feed a rapid growing human population maintains pressure on the intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers. However, worldwide surveys have documented the contamination and impact of agrochemical residues in soils, and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems including coastal marine systems, and their toxic effects on humans and nonhuman biota. Although persistent organic chemicals have been phased out and replaced by more biodegradable chemicals, contamination by legacy residues and recent residues still impacts on the quality of human food, water, and environment. Current and future increase in food production must go along with production of food with better quality and with less toxic contaminants. Alternative paths to the intensive use of crop protection chemicals are open, such as genetically engineered organisms, organic farming, change of dietary habits, and development of food technologies. Agro industries need to further develop advanced practices to protect public health, which requires more cautious use of agrochemicals through prior testing, careful risk assessment, and licensing, but also through education of farmers and users in general, measures for better protection of ecosystems, and good practices for sustainable development of agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture. Enhanced scientific research for new developments in food production and food safety, as well as for environmental protection, is a necessary part of this endeavor. Furthermore, worldwide agreement on good agriculture practices, including development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their release for international agriculture, may be urgent to ensure the success of safe food production.
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21 Oct 2019
TL;DR: In this paper, an attempt has been made to critically review the global usage of different pesticides and their major adverse impacts on ecosystem, which will provide guidance for a wide range of researchers in this area.
Abstract: Pesticides are extensively used in modern agriculture and are an effective and economical way to enhance the yield quality and quantity, thus ensuring food security for the ever-growing population around the globe. Approximately, 2 million tonnes of pesticides are utilized annually worldwide, where China is the major contributing country, followed by the USA and Argentina, which is increasing rapidly. However, by the year 2020, the global pesticide usage has been estimated to increase up to 3.5 million tonnes. Although pesticides are beneficial for crop production point of view, extensive use of pesticides can possess serious consequences because of their bio-magnification and persistent nature. Diverse pesticides directly or indirectly polluted air, water, soil and overall ecosystem which cause serious health hazard for living being. In the present manuscript, an attempt has been made to critically review the global usage of different pesticides and their major adverse impacts on ecosystem, which will provide guidance for a wide range of researchers in this area.
665 citations
TL;DR: The potential of wireless sensors and IoT in agriculture, as well as the challenges expected to be faced when integrating this technology with the traditional farming practices are highlighted.
Abstract: Despite the perception people may have regarding the agricultural process, the reality is that today's agriculture industry is data-centered, precise, and smarter than ever. The rapid emergence of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) based technologies redesigned almost every industry including “smart agriculture” which moved the industry from statistical to quantitative approaches. Such revolutionary changes are shaking the existing agriculture methods and creating new opportunities along a range of challenges. This article highlights the potential of wireless sensors and IoT in agriculture, as well as the challenges expected to be faced when integrating this technology with the traditional farming practices. IoT devices and communication techniques associated with wireless sensors encountered in agriculture applications are analyzed in detail. What sensors are available for specific agriculture application, like soil preparation, crop status, irrigation, insect and pest detection are listed. How this technology helping the growers throughout the crop stages, from sowing until harvesting, packing and transportation is explained. Furthermore, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for crop surveillance and other favorable applications such as optimizing crop yield is considered in this article. State-of-the-art IoT-based architectures and platforms used in agriculture are also highlighted wherever suitable. Finally, based on this thorough review, we identify current and future trends of IoT in agriculture and highlight potential research challenges.
514 citations
Cites background from "Pesticides, environment, and food s..."
...Most of these pesticides are harmful to human and animal health, leaving severe, even irreversible, impact to the environment, ultimately causing significant contamination to entire ecosystems [58], [59]....
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TL;DR: It is essential to discuss the agricultural development process; the historical perspective, types and specific uses of pesticides; and pesticide behavior, its contamination, and adverse effects on the natural environment to provide the scientific information necessary for pesticide application and management in the future.
Abstract: Pesticides are indispensable in agricultural production. They have been used by farmers to control weeds and insects, and their remarkable increases in agricultural products have been reported. The increase in the world's population in the 20th century could not have been possible without a parallel increase in food production. About one-third of agricultural products are produced depending on the application of pesticides. Without the use of pesticides, there would be a 78% loss of fruit production, a 54% loss of vegetable production, and a 32% loss of cereal production. Therefore, pesticides play a critical role in reducing diseases and increasing crop yields worldwide. Thus, it is essential to discuss the agricultural development process; the historical perspective, types and specific uses of pesticides; and pesticide behavior, its contamination, and adverse effects on the natural environment. The review study indicates that agricultural development has a long history in many places around the world. The history of pesticide use can be divided into three periods of time. Pesticides are classified by different classification terms such as chemical classes, functional groups, modes of action, and toxicity. Pesticides are used to kill pests and control weeds using chemical ingredients; hence, they can also be toxic to other organisms, including birds, fish, beneficial insects, and non-target plants, as well as air, water, soil, and crops. Moreover, pesticide contamination moves away from the target plants, resulting in environmental pollution. Such chemical residues impact human health through environmental and food contamination. In addition, climate change-related factors also impact on pesticide application and result in increased pesticide usage and pesticide pollution. Therefore, this review will provide the scientific information necessary for pesticide application and management in the future.
451 citations
Cites background from "Pesticides, environment, and food s..."
...Food contamination is not only a consequence of spraying pesticides for non-target plants but also due to pesticide behavior in the environment, such as volatilization from the treated area to the air, soil, and non-target plants, and the residual pesticides transmitted from soil and water to crops, vegetables, and fruits [5,16,36]....
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...2 million tons in the 1950s to more than 5 million tons by 2000 [5]....
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TL;DR: How the discovery of multiple key domestication genes alongside the development of technologies for accurate manipulation of several target genes simultaneously renders de novo domestication a route toward crops for the future is discussed.
243 citations
Cites methods from "Pesticides, environment, and food s..."
...(2G) was developed in the 1980s and mating designs and statistical analyses were incorporated (Fisher, 1919; Wright, 1921), the use of fertilizer and pesticide became widespread (Carvalho, 2017), and the first ‘‘green revolution’’ occurred at the end of the 1950s, resulting in dwarf plants with consequently higher yields (Khush, 2001)....
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...…and mating designs and statistical analyses were incorporated (Fisher, 1919; Wright, 1921), the use of fertilizer and pesticide became widespread (Carvalho, 2017), and the first ‘‘green revolution’’ occurred at the end of the 1950s, resulting in dwarf plants with consequently higher yields…...
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TL;DR: In this paper, the mining legacy and environmental remediation, the present mining and challenges, and the future mining and society are discussed in relationship with environmental health and sustainable development, concluding that current mining practices need to change and contribute to community development with more equity, and to protect better natural resources and ecosystems in order to be environmentally acceptable and compliant with sustainable development objectives.
Abstract: Mining industries provide most of the materials we rely on to build infrastructures and instruments of daily use, to obtain large amounts of energy, and to supply agriculture with fertilizers that enable most of foods produced. At the same time, mining is the human activity that has been more disturbing to environment and is linked to large social impacts and inequalities. Notwithstanding, our future is deeply depending on mining. Several mining sectors, from phosphate to uranium, are reviewed and their current impacts and challenges are discussed. The mining legacy and environmental remediation, the present mining and challenges, and the future mining and society are discussed in relationship with environmental health and sustainable development. It is concluded that current mining practices need to change and contribute to community development with more equity, and to protect better natural resources and ecosystems in order to be environmentally acceptable and compliant with sustainable development objectives.
227 citations
Cites background from "Pesticides, environment, and food s..."
...Phosphate production grew over the past century and continues to increase in order to supply fertilizers to agriculture and enable high yields in food production (Carvalho 2017)....
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References
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TL;DR: In this paper, a re-make of the Interim Report World Agriculture: towards 2030/2050 (FAO, 2006) is presented, which includes a Chapter 4 on production factors (land, water, yields, fertilizers).
Abstract: This paper is a re-make of Chapters 1-3 of the Interim Report World Agriculture: towards 2030/2050 (FAO, 2006). In addition, this new paper includes a Chapter 4 on production factors (land, water, yields, fertilizers). Revised and more recent data have been used as basis for the new projections, as follows: (a) updated historical data from the Food Balance Sheets 1961-2007 as of June 2010; (b) undernourishment estimates from The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2010 (SOFI) and related new parameters (CVs, minimum daily energy requirements) are used in the projections; (c) new population data and projections from the UN World Population Prospects - Revision of 2008; (d) new GDP data and projections from the World Bank; (e) a new base year of 2005/2007 (the previous edition used the base year 1999/2001); (f) updated estimates of land resources from the new evaluation of the Global Agro-ecological Zones (GAEZ) study of FAO and IIASA. Estimates of land under forest and in protected areas from the GAEZ are taken into account and excluded from the estimates of land areas suitable for crop production into which agriculture could expand in the future; (g) updated estimates of existing irrigation, renewable water resources and potentials for irrigation expansion; and (h) changes in the text as required by the new historical data and projections. Like the interim report, this re-make does not include projections for the Fisheries and Forestry sectors. Calories from fish are, however, included, in the food consumption projections, along with those from other commodities (e.g. spices) not analysed individually. The projections presented reflect the magnitudes and trajectories we estimate the major food and agriculture variables may assume in the future; they are not meant to reflect how these variables may be required to evolve in the future in order to achieve some normative objective, e.g. ensure food security for all, eliminate undernourishment or reduce it to any given desired level, or avoid food overconsumption leading to obesity and related NonCommunicable Diseases.
2,991 citations
TL;DR: The neonicotinoids have outstanding potency and systemic action for crop protection against piercing-sucking pests, and they are highly effective for flea control on cats and dogs.
Abstract: ▪ Abstract The neonicotinoids, the newest major class of insecticides, have outstanding potency and systemic action for crop protection against piercing-sucking pests, and they are highly effective for flea control on cats and dogs. Their common names are acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam. They generally have low toxicity to mammals (acute and chronic), birds, and fish. Biotransformations involve some activation reactions but largely detoxification mechanisms. In contrast to nicotine, epibatidine, and other ammonium or iminium nicotinoids, which are mostly protonated at physiological pH, the neonicotinoids are not protonated and have an electronegative nitro or cyano pharmacophore. Agonist recognition by the nicotinic receptor involves cation-π interaction for nicotinoids in mammals and possibly a cationic subsite for interaction with the nitro or cyano substituent of neonicotinoids in insects. The low affinity of neonicotinoids for vertebrate ...
1,409 citations
TL;DR: Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come, and interest will grow in quantifying ecological and human health impacts, according to published global pesticide use data.
Abstract: Accurate pesticide use data are essential when studying the environmental and public health impacts of pesticide use. Since the mid-1990s, significant changes have occurred in when and how glyphosate herbicides are applied, and there has been a dramatic increase in the total volume applied. Data on glyphosate applications were collected from multiple sources and integrated into a dataset spanning agricultural, non-agricultural, and total glyphosate use from 1974–2014 in the United States, and from 1994–2014 globally. Since 1974 in the U.S., over 1.6 billion kilograms of glyphosate active ingredient have been applied, or 19 % of estimated global use of glyphosate (8.6 billion kilograms). Globally, glyphosate use has risen almost 15-fold since so-called “Roundup Ready,” genetically engineered glyphosate-tolerant crops were introduced in 1996. Two-thirds of the total volume of glyphosate applied in the U.S. from 1974 to 2014 has been sprayed in just the last 10 years. The corresponding share globally is 72 %. In 2014, farmers sprayed enough glyphosate to apply ~1.0 kg/ha (0.8 pound/acre) on every hectare of U.S.-cultivated cropland and nearly 0.53 kg/ha (0.47 pounds/acre) on all cropland worldwide. Genetically engineered herbicide-tolerant crops now account for about 56 % of global glyphosate use. In the U.S., no pesticide has come remotely close to such intensive and widespread use. This is likely the case globally, but published global pesticide use data are sparse. Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come, and interest will grow in quantifying ecological and human health impacts. Accurate, accessible time-series data on glyphosate use will accelerate research progress.
1,153 citations
"Pesticides, environment, and food s..." refers background in this paper
...At present, there is a widespread concern about effects of herbicides on human health, such as glyphosate that is of common use in agriculture and in cities to control weeds, and is a main carcinogenic agent (Araújo et al. 2016; Benbrook 2016)....
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...Glyphosate is the most widely applied pesticide worldwide, and in the USA, in 2014 farmers applied glyphosate at a rate of about 1 kg/ha in croplands (Benbrook 2016)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the atmospheric concentrations of organochlorines such as hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), DDTs, chlordanes, and PCBs were determined in the air and surface water from various oceans in 1989-1990, for understanding their recent distribution and the role of ocean in the long-range atmospheric transport and fate on global terms.
Abstract: Concentrations of organochlorines such as hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), DDTs, chlordanes, and PCBs were determined in the air and surface water from various oceans in 1989-1990, for understanding their recent distribution and the role of ocean in the long-range atmospheric transport and fate on global terms. The atmospheric concentrations were found to be still higher in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere, although the distribution pattern suggested the shift or expansion of their major sources from the mid to low latitudes during the last decade. In surface water, HCHs showed a considerable contamination over 40°N, whereas DDTs were higher near tropical Asia
944 citations
"Pesticides, environment, and food s..." refers background in this paper
...The same did occur with HCH applied on rice fields in South Asia and transported to higher latitudes (Iwata et al. 1993; Simonich and Hites 1995)....
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TL;DR: The hypothesis that the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, has a negative impact on insectivorous bird populations is investigated and it is shown that, in the Netherlands, local population trends were significantly more negative in areas with higher surface-water concentrations of imidcloprid.
Abstract: Recent studies have shown that neonicotinoid insecticides have adverse effects on non-target invertebrate species. Invertebrates constitute a substantial part of the diet of many bird species during the breeding season and are indispensable for raising offspring. We investigated the hypothesis that the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, has a negative impact on insectivorous bird populations. Here we show that, in the Netherlands, local population trends were significantly more negative in areas with higher surface-water concentrations of imidacloprid. At imidacloprid concentrations of more than 20 nanograms per litre, bird populations tended to decline by 3.5 per cent on average annually. Additional analyses revealed that this spatial pattern of decline appeared only after the introduction of imidacloprid to the Netherlands, in the mid-1990s. We further show that the recent negative relationship remains after correcting for spatial differences in land-use changes that are known to affect bird populations in farmland. Our results suggest that the impact of neonicotinoids on the natural environment is even more substantial than has recently been reported and is reminiscent of the effects of persistent insecticides in the past. Future legislation should take into account the potential cascading effects of neonicotinoids on ecosystems.
766 citations
"Pesticides, environment, and food s..." refers background in this paper
...Nevertheless, this has not resolved the collateral effects of pesticides and recurrent episodes with new chemicals, including neonicotinoids, have been reported (Bouwman et al. 2013; Hallmann et al. 2014; Park et al. 2015)....
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