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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Why farmers continue to use pesticides despite environmental, health and sustainability costs

Clevo Wilson, +1 more
- 01 Dec 2001 - 
- Vol. 39, Iss: 3, pp 449-462
TLDR
In this article, the authors examine the paradox and show why farmers continue to use pesticides despite the increasing costs and also emphasize the "lock-in" aspects of pesticide use and emphasize the negative externalities from such use.
About
This article is published in Ecological Economics.The article was published on 2001-12-01 and is currently open access. It has received 803 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Agricultural productivity.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI

Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators

TL;DR: New tools or techniques with greater reliability than those already existing are needed to predict the potential hazards of pesticides and thus contribute to reduction of the adverse effects on human health and the environment.
Journal ArticleDOI

Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence

TL;DR: Agricultural sustainability suggests a focus on both genotype improvements through the full range of modern biological approaches and improved understanding of the benefits of ecological and agronomic management, manipulation and redesign.
Posted Content

How Agricultural Research Systems Shape a Technological Regime that Develops Genetic Engineering but Locks Out Agroecological Innovations

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used a Systems of Innovation (SI) approach to identify the determinants of innovation (the factors that influence research choices) within agricultural research systems, and the influence of each determinant is systematically described.
Journal ArticleDOI

Current status of persistent organic pesticides residues in air, water, and soil, and their possible effect on neighboring countries: a comprehensive review of India.

TL;DR: It can be concluded that India is one of the major contributors of global persistent organic pesticide distribution and its impact on neighboring countries and regions is highlighted.
Journal ArticleDOI

How agricultural research systems shape a technological regime that develops genetic engineering but locks out agroecological innovations

TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a Systems of Innovation (SI) approach to identify the determinants of innovation (the factors that influence research choices) within agricultural research systems, and the influence of each determinant is systematically described.
References
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Book

Arthropod biological control agents and pesticides

TL;DR: Natural enemies and pesticides - an overview pesticideside-effects on natural enemies - a database summary pesticide susceptibility - modes of uptake standardized assessment methods pesticide influences - sublethal influences ecological influences pesticide selectivity
Journal ArticleDOI

Environmental and Economic Costs of Pesticide Use

TL;DR: Estimates are that losses to pests would increase 10% if no pesticides were used at all; specific crop losses would range from zero to nearly 100%.
Journal ArticleDOI

Sprayed to Death: Path Dependence, Lock-in and Pest Control Strategies

TL;DR: Theoretical literature on the economics of technology has emphasized the effects on technological trajectories of positive feedbacks as mentioned in this paper, and the presence of increasing returns to adoptions can force all but one technology from the market.
Book

CRC handbook of pest management in agriculture

TL;DR: This work focuses on the management of Insect Pests of Rice in Asia, and the management systems used to manage these pests and the systems used for management of Peanut Diseases in the United States.
Related Papers (5)
Frequently Asked Questions (15)
Q1. What are the contributions in this paper?

In this paper, the authors examine this paradox and show why farmers continue to use pesticides despite the increasing costs. 

The possibility of economic ‘ locking in ’ occurring as a result of the adoption of unsustainable economic techniques was shown graphically. 

Inadequate or non-existent storage facilities, poor living conditions, contaminated water supplies also affect the health of families. 

Planthoppers are naturally controlled by wolf spiders and a variety of other natural predators and parasites which are destroyed by many of the pesticides commonly used on rice (Conway and McCauley, 1983, p. 288; Conway and Barbier, 1990, p. 22). 

As Tisdell (1999, 49- 50) points out that reverting to the old technique might cause a downward jump in the welfare function (described as consumers’ surplus plus producers’ surplus), say from F to G due to mining of the natural environment by the new technique. 

Poor health and diet are other factors that are known to increase the incidence of illnesses from exposure to pesticides in developing countries (WRI, 1999). 

Apart from pests developing resistance to pesticides there are many harmful effects of pesticides that affect agricultural sustainability, the environment and the health of farmers as well as those living around near farms. 

World Health Organization (1990) estimates that between 50 million and 100 million people in the developing world may receive intensive pesticide exposure, and another 500 million receive lower exposures. 

In addition to the increase in quantity of pesticides used, farmers use stronger concentrations of pesticides, they have increased the frequency of pesticide applications and increasingly mix several pesticides together to combat pesticide resistance by pests (Chandrasekera et al. 1995; WRI, 1999). 

The use of pesticides have not only influenced level of agricultural production and their sustainability but have also affected the health of users (mainly farmers), those living near farms and consumers of food products. 

In addition to fish, shrimps, prawns, crayfish and crabs are also known to suffer from pesticides, but detailed studies of pesticide poisoning are not available. 

The manner in which pesticides reduce pest infestations and how chemical control creates a disequilibrum in the agricultural system was shown graphically. 

In Australia, Endosulfan (a very toxic organochlorine insecticide) used on cotton crops has contaminated beef production and has affected exports in recent times (Williams, 1999, p. 11). 

over time targeted pests have developed resistance to pesticides necessitating increasing applications or resulting in rising populations of pests or both. 

Loans obtained by farmers for the purchase of inputs (e.g. pesticides and fertilizers) may also be a barrier to switching to other strategies. 

Trending Questions (1)
How does the green pesticides affect farm productivity?

The provided paper does not mention anything about the effects of green pesticides on farm productivity.