This presentation is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this presentation are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Pesticide Risks on USAID Projects, Regulation 216 and

Market Access

Prevention and Mitigation of Pesticide Risks to Human Health, Environmental Resources and

Hi-Value Markets

Pesticide Impacts

• Import/Export: Food Shipment Rejections

• Unintentional poisonings

• Chronic health affects: cancer, hormone disruption, sterility and birth defects

Risk on USAID Projects

• Why have USAID environmental regulations?– 1972-1973: Pakistan malaria reaches epidemic proportions– 1974-1975: USAID & WHO launch Malaria Control Program

in Pakistan– About 2,800 Pakistani malaria spray personnel poisoned (5

to death) by insecticide mishaps*– USAID sued by environmental groups for not having

environmental procedures in place– 1975-1976: USAID drafts Regulation 216 (environmental

regulations for USAID projects)

* Baker, et al. 1978. Epidemic malathion poisoning in Pakistan malaria workers. The Lancet, Volume 311, Issue 8054, Pages 31 – 34.

US Government Regulation 216

• Pesticides not registered with EPA cannot be promoted, bought or used with USAID resources on USAID projects

• EPA Restricted Use Pesticides (RUP) cannot be promoted, bought or used with USAID resources on USAID projects

• Most pesticides that are Class I, carcinogens & known water pollutants are rejected for use with USAID resources on USAID projects

What are GAPs (Good Agriculture Practices)?

• Are consumer-demanded & market-driven

• Best Management Practices (BMPs) for many crop, livestock and post-production systems

• Result in safe food/security• Promote economic, social &

environmental protection • Promote sustainability of natural

resources (water, soil, biodiversity)

First Photo/Logo Credit: Cornell university, http://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/2206

GlobalGAP: Certification System benefits

• Promote sustainable agriculture production• Improve on-farm management• Add quality value to fruit & vegetables• Support the integrity of global accreditation systems• Provide small land-holders with access to developed

markets• Harmonize buyer quality & safety requirements

Systematizing Good Agriculture PracticesGlobalGAP

GlobalGAP: Uses Checklists

• Certified clean seed and seedlings• Site history & management• Soil testing, management &

fertilizer use

• Water quality testing and irrigation

• IPM• Pesticides safe use & Maximum

Residue Levels• Keeping records• Traceability of food back to farms

& farm recordsBottom Photo Credit: Queen’s Printer for Ontario 2012

GlobalGAP: Safe use includes on-farm pesticide safety practices

• Use a locked storage shed with shelves

• This shed is missing a warning sign

• Use pesticides with lower human toxicity

• Keep the place neat, clean & organized

Best Management Practices for pesticide use

• Read the label or understand pictograms for toxicity, dosage, pests controlled and safe use

• Pictogram shows high toxicity & to use gloves for handling

GlobalGAP: Farm disposal of leftover pesticides and containers

Use a dedicated pesticide mixing barrel & in-ground carbon trap for wash & leftover pesticide

Use barrels for collecting & holding used containers (for rinsing and recycling or burial)

There is a focus on record-keeping to trace farm actions

• Records are kept on pesticide inventories

• Records are kept on staff safety training received

• Field map records are kept for crop and spray histories

Types of protective equipment to use for modern agriculture

• Gloves, Mask• Goggles, Boots• Overalls or cool Tyvec

Outfits

• After spraying: Use warning signs—do not enter field and keep children out

Pesticide Uses

• As a seed treatment

• On growing plants

Pesticide Uses

• On stored grain & food pests

• Spraying a grain storage bin

Pesticide Uses

• Spray-on livestock to control disease-transmitting ticks & flies

• Pour-on tick/fly control

Pesticide store should be:

• Organized by type, neat, clean, with no pesticide odor

• No opened bottles• No subdividing of

pesticides into un- unlabeled bottles

Pesticide sub-dividing in Albania shop

• Pesticides being weighed out and spilled on counter

• Pesticides were being put into baby juice bottles for re-sale

Pesticide store should be:

• Organized, neat, clean, with no pesticide odor

• No opened bottles• No subdividing of

pesticides into un- unlabeled bottles

Armenia Pesticide Sector

• Government list of 449 registered pesticides

• Seven large input importers/distributors

• Many small retail stores in farm communities

• Brand-name products

Armenia Pesticide Sector

• Syngenta products

• BASF products

Armenia Pesticide Sector

• Armenia laws permit repackaging of pesticides into smaller containers

• As long as an air exhaust hood is used to take fumes out

Armenia Pesticide Sector

• Repackaging into small bottles loses pesticide label safety and usage information

• Baggies of pesticide powders have no label information

Armenia Pest Management

• Single-use pesticide sachets—state of the art

• State of the art greenhouse sprayers

Armenia Pest Management

• Plastic house tomato production

• Light trap to kill tomato borer adult moths

Armenia Pest Management

• Yellow sticky trap to catch flying pests

• Pheromone trap to catch adult tomato borer moths

Armenia Pest Management

• Close-up of moth pheromone trap with tomato borer adult moths

• Pesticides are applied by mixing tank, pump, hose, sprayer lance

Armenia Pest Management

• Cucumber glasshouse

• Pesticides on shelf in used water bottles with product name label and original bottle

Armenia Pest Management

• Pruning apricot orchard

Armenia Pest Management

• Hard freeze led to cracks and disease entry points

• Winter mice chew bark from young trees

Armenia Pest Management

• Annual lists of registered pesticides allowed for import and use

• New 2014 MOA/FAO crop-pest-pesticide management handbook

• Need resources to produce a handbook on preventive IPM tools/tactics by crop-pest

Risks present in the pesticide sector

• Few resources for extension & enforcement• Presence of low quality generic pesticides • Limited farmer knowledge of small pests• Limited pesticide safety equipment available

Risks present in the pesticide sector

• Very little use of safety equipment• Over- and under-dosing with pesticides• Pesticides applied at incorrect time of day• Incorrect pesticide choices for pest species• Backpack sprayers leak, maintenance lacking

Risks present in the pesticide sector

• Pesticides sold in unlabeled containers• Improper pesticide and container disposal• Inadequate poison control centers & antidotes

Pesticide Impact on Environment

• In the field, some pesticides may kill honeybees & birds

• In water, some pesticides may kill fish, crabs, frogs, salamanders, shellfish & other organisms

Pesticides under GlobalGAP & USAID

Pesticides Break Down in Environment

Thank you

Alan Schroeder, March, 2014