Pesticide use is taking a serious toll on our farmers’ health. The data from a joint research by PAN India and PAN AP involving 430 farmers, reveals alarming acute health issues— vomiting (53.72%) and nausea (41.86%) are most common, along with skin rashes, headaches, dizziness, breathing difficulties, and blurred vision.
These symptoms remain largely underreported and underrecognised, and are rarely addressed in policy discussions. Yet, they are commonly experienced by farmers after spraying pesticides in fields and handling them at home. Even low to moderate, repeated exposure can lead to serious health impacts over time.
This calls for urgent action. There is a critical need to establish a stronger regulatory framework to phase out hazardous pesticides from the market, alongside robust capacity-building initiatives that support farmers in adopting non-chemical farming practices.
The government must act without delay. It’s time to move forward. Transitioning to safer, non-chemical farming rooted in agroecology, supported by effective regulation, is no longer optional—it is essential.
Read more to explore the ground realities: https://files.panap.net/resources/Field-Survey-Pesticide-Use-and-Impacts-in-Yavatmal-India.pdf
