August 12, 2013
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| Ghanaian women spraying pesticides. Source: Northern Presbyterian Agricultural Services (NPAS). |
Crop plantations are not free from the attack of pests and diseases. In order to control insect pests, Ghanaian farmers are still using some of the most dangerous and banned chemical pesticides in the world.
Since farmers do not wear any protection when applying the insecticides, their skin, eyes and lungs become contaminated, increasing thereby their risks to get cancer, damage their nervous system, and in some cases, their exposure may result in death. Women may have children with birth defects,
As a result, field workers are experiencing a wide range of health problems. The most common medical conditions and illnesses are skin diseases, eye irritations, dizziness, irritation of nose and throat, difficulty of breathing, thirst, headaches, body weakness, stomach aches, nausea and vomiting, fevers, lack of appetite and nervousness which occur during and after the application of pesticides.
According to the Northern Presbyterian Agricultural Services (NPAS), the following banned or restricted pesticides are presently in use in Ghana:
- DDT,
- Paraquat (Glyphosate),
- Atrazine,
- Aldrin,
- Dieldrin,
- Endosulfan,
- Lindane,
- Methylbromide, and
- Carbofuran
- Chlorpyrifos.
The Northern Presbyterian Agricultural Services (NPAS) indicates that some of these
chemicals can still be bought by farmers in local garden and agro stores (e.g., aldrin,
dieldrin, DDT, and lindane) without any difficulty in Ghana.
The intensive use of pesticides by Ghanaian farmers has prompted the NPAS to carry out a study to find out the use of chemicals in northern Ghana.
The NPAS´ objective was to answer the following question:
How safe is the current use of pesticides and is the government adequately regulating it?
Read the NPAS Report: Click HERE.
Humans are eating pesticides
Ironically, Africa has become a big agro exporter and yet there are large masses of hungry people in the continent. But business is business.
European consumers can get fresh produce in the middle of Winter. Their stores are filled with fruits and vegetables out of Africa during this season.
There are some crop products that have an overwhelming presence at the table during holidays and serve as joy-of-life enhancements or help premarital relationships. For instance, the chocolate cakes, cans of cocoa powder and boxes of chocolates.
And cocoa plantations are amongst the crops susceptible to pest attacks. Considering that around 21% of the world´s cocoa production comes from Ghana, when people consume cocoa products, they cannot then escape from eating chocolates or having cocoa drinks with traces of DDT and other hazardous pesticides.
And this is something to worry about.
Man (Homo insapiens) has created a vicious circle in agriculture, which depends on petroleum derived chemicals.
Humans are killing the pests with chemical pesticides but at the same time they are killing themselves softly and slowly. Humans are eating their own pesticides.
In the short run it appears humans are really smart but in the long run they will be the losers. Overall, humans are known to excel in the lack of ecological intelligence.
Making millions today is what counts for what den Hond et al. (2003) calls the science-based, multibillion-dollar and multinational agrochemical industry. They make their money by providing "crop protection solutions" to farmers.
Fuck tomorrow or fuck whatever environmental or human problems might come out, caused by the agroindustry´s innovations.
The present economic systems´ sucks and the bottom line is profits at the risk or cost of man´s and environmental health.
And for the time being, it looks like man is stuck with chemical pesticides for some time to come.
Nevertheless, "pay-check" scientists are promising and insisting that biotechnology and genetic engineering will be the solution. This remains to be seen.
But there is the risk that the solution might turn out worse than the problem. And humans are certainly good at this.
Meanwhile humans continue riding on the unsustainable chemical wave until it smashes him against the rocks of the unforgiving harsh reality.
Man´s way of approaching Nature as an object to be taken, used and discarded as soiled and intoxicated crap must be changed.
It is long overdue for an overhaul.
References
den Hond F., Groenewegen P. & van Straalen N. M. (Eds.) (2003). Pesticides: Problems, Improvements, Alternatives. Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford, UK. 256 p.
Krieger R. (Ed.) (2010). Hayes´ Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology. 3rd Edition. Vol 1. Academic Press, Burlington, MA, USA. 2000 p.
The intensive use of pesticides by Ghanaian farmers has prompted the NPAS to carry out a study to find out the use of chemicals in northern Ghana.
The NPAS´ objective was to answer the following question:
How safe is the current use of pesticides and is the government adequately regulating it?
Read the NPAS Report: Click HERE.
Humans are eating pesticides
Ironically, Africa has become a big agro exporter and yet there are large masses of hungry people in the continent. But business is business.
European consumers can get fresh produce in the middle of Winter. Their stores are filled with fruits and vegetables out of Africa during this season.
There are some crop products that have an overwhelming presence at the table during holidays and serve as joy-of-life enhancements or help premarital relationships. For instance, the chocolate cakes, cans of cocoa powder and boxes of chocolates.
And cocoa plantations are amongst the crops susceptible to pest attacks. Considering that around 21% of the world´s cocoa production comes from Ghana, when people consume cocoa products, they cannot then escape from eating chocolates or having cocoa drinks with traces of DDT and other hazardous pesticides.
And this is something to worry about.
Man (Homo insapiens) has created a vicious circle in agriculture, which depends on petroleum derived chemicals.
Humans are killing the pests with chemical pesticides but at the same time they are killing themselves softly and slowly. Humans are eating their own pesticides.
In the short run it appears humans are really smart but in the long run they will be the losers. Overall, humans are known to excel in the lack of ecological intelligence.
Making millions today is what counts for what den Hond et al. (2003) calls the science-based, multibillion-dollar and multinational agrochemical industry. They make their money by providing "crop protection solutions" to farmers.
Fuck tomorrow or fuck whatever environmental or human problems might come out, caused by the agroindustry´s innovations.
The present economic systems´ sucks and the bottom line is profits at the risk or cost of man´s and environmental health.
And for the time being, it looks like man is stuck with chemical pesticides for some time to come.
Nevertheless, "pay-check" scientists are promising and insisting that biotechnology and genetic engineering will be the solution. This remains to be seen.
But there is the risk that the solution might turn out worse than the problem. And humans are certainly good at this.
Meanwhile humans continue riding on the unsustainable chemical wave until it smashes him against the rocks of the unforgiving harsh reality.
Man´s way of approaching Nature as an object to be taken, used and discarded as soiled and intoxicated crap must be changed.
It is long overdue for an overhaul.
References
den Hond F., Groenewegen P. & van Straalen N. M. (Eds.) (2003). Pesticides: Problems, Improvements, Alternatives. Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford, UK. 256 p.
Krieger R. (Ed.) (2010). Hayes´ Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology. 3rd Edition. Vol 1. Academic Press, Burlington, MA, USA. 2000 p.
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