In beer and honey, on fruit and vegetables, in playgrounds and in the air – traces of pesticides can be found everywhere. Yet the knowledge that pesticides have a negative impact on human health is by no means new. Despite many tightening of approval procedures, more pesticides are being used worldwide than ever before.
In our “Pesticide Atlas 2022,” we provide data and facts in 19 chapters on the connections and consequences of the global pesticide trade and its use in agriculture. Among other things, we show how pesticides affect insects and plants, where and why they can also be found in water and air, and how substances that are already banned in Europe pose a health risk to small-scale farmers in the Global South. The global market is dominated by a few large companies. We identify which ones these are and why the digitalization of agriculture does not necessarily promise an improvement, i.e., fewer pesticides. In addition, we outline the policies that are urgently needed to significantly reduce pesticide use and provide examples of regions and projects that are already successful in this regard.
Our youth survey for the Pesticide Atlas has shown that young people in Germany in particular believe it is important for politicians to finally take action and support farmers in using fewer pesticides.