What is a Pesticide and why is it bad for your lifestyle?
Pesticides are being used in agriculture for several decades and enough has been said about how bad they are for the health of people and the planet. Before we take another step towards it, let us understand what a pesticide is and why it is bad for us.
What is a pesticide?
A pesticide is a chemical substance that is meant to control or eliminate pests while growing crops. Pesticides can be for both preventing and destroying pests, weeds, insects and fungi infecting the crops. When we say pesticides, it includes fungicides, insecticides, biopesticides, rodenticide, animal repellent, pesticide and several more.
The pesticide industry was INR 232 billion in 2020 in India and is also a growing market worldwide.
Before we understand the adversities of pesticides on the consumers, let us understand how pesticide exposure affects the rural community.
Effects of pesticides on the rural community
Chemical and synthetic pesticides are toxic in nature to anybody in contact, moreover to the ones who are exposed for long time frames. This is not merely short-term adversity, but is extremely harmful in the longer run as these chemicals and toxins start accumulating in the soil and go as deep as the water and irrigation sources.
Even though one may not come in close contact with these pesticides directly, the contamination of the soil and water are disastrous enough. It affects the skin, health, digestive and respiratory systems and leaves traces for generations.
There is a risk of inhalation, no matter how cautious is as they leave residues and traces. This can cause acute and chronic damage to the entire rural community and not just the ones directly involved, as with time, this also causes air contamination and pollution.
What are the long-term effects of using pesticides for consumers?
The long-term effect of pesticides can be seen on children in their physical and mental growth. Infants and kids, whose organs are still in the development phase, accumulate pesticides at a growing age, bearing a direct effect on their organs.
Their nervous system can also be immensely affected by these chemicals, affecting their dexterity, growth and mental ability.
For a family consuming pesticide on a regular basis might notice the ill effects after some time in gastrointestinal system and respiratory system, although it can be hard to trace the health issues back to these chemical substances.
Chronic conditions and cancer are often attributed to food that is processed and filled with chemical pesticides.
What can be done to reverse this damage?
Action can be taken at various levels and the most important of all are the actions that we can take at home by making small changes in our life. One of them, as consumers, is the usage of natural food and spreading awareness of the same.
When we buy and consume natural food, we vote for sustainable farming practices and a sustainable tomorrow. These sustainable farming practices aim at rejuvenating the soil and staying as close to nature as possible while we yield the goodness of the greens.
As a consumer, buying from local farmers, whose stories and lands are known will support their wellbeing and right practices. Switch to pesticide-free natural food and vote for the good health of your family and environment.
Explore Safe Harvest to know more…
