Pesticide Use Accumulation and Impacts

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Pesticide Use,

Accumulations and Impacts:A Case Study in the Rift Valley, Ethiopia

Environment and Social Assessment International: 2006

Pesticide use in EthiopiaPesticide use in Ethiopian State farms is estimated at 7.76kg/ha/yr, and less than 0.1kg/ha/yr

in smallholder farms. Cotton on commercial farms uses 90% of imported insecticides.

Agricultural intensification, including increased use of pesticides, is considered a viable option

to overcome the problems of increasing population, shrinking farm sizes and food insecurity.

Government extension services promote packages of chemical inputs to improve the

productivity of smallholder agriculture and achieve food security. Pesticide use with poor

application and storage practices may contribute to future obsolete stockpiles.

Obsolete pesticides: the silent killersInventories made in Ethiopia (Ministry of Agriculture, 2000) showed over 400 stores with 1,500

tonnes of obsolete pesticides and 1,000 tonnes of contaminated equipment (containers,

sprayers, etc). The storage conditions were poor, with leaking drums, burst open sacks, and

the stores themselves in a bad state, posing great threat to human health and the

environment. Overall Ethiopia was considered to be one of the worst contaminated countries in

Africa. Over the last 10 years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has removed

1,507 tonnes of pesticides from eight sites namely (1) Mekele, (2) Kombolcha, (3) Bahir Dar,

(4) Nekemt, (5) Jimma, (6) Awassa, (7) Dire Dawa and (8) Addis Ababa.

A farmer preparing pesticides consisting of malthion, thionex and mancozeb not far away from ground water source which is used by the communitiesliving around


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Household characteristics, education andliteracyMale-headed households made up 97% of respondents,

with 62% aged between 29-50 and 22% aged between 18-

28. Only the 25% of interviewees who have secondary level

education are likely to understand the label directions on

imported pesticides, which are mostly in English.The

majority of farmers, who are either illiterate or withelementary education, depend on explanations from

Development Agents (DAs) and/or pesticide distributors,

which were frequently considered to be insufficient.

Buying and storing pesticidesFarmers normally purchase pesticides in small quantities

and they rarely read the instructions. For example 62%, of

respondents did not check the expiry date of the pesticides they bought, citing the following reasons:

Inability to read (illiteracy)

• Farmers’ trust of pesticides suppliers (both governmental and private)

• Lack of awareness of the importance of expiry date (for example in comparison to the importance ofcost)

Failure to refer to the expiry dates compromises the effectiveness of pesticides, contributes to the

accumulation of obsolete pesticides, and increases the vulnerability of farmers to health risks.

Farmers obtain pesticides in different ways: (a) on credit as part of agricultural input packages; (b) by

cash, especially when they buy from the private dealers; and

(c) on a grant basis when there is an outbreak of pests.The

informal sector is becoming a major supplier of pesticide to

farmer.

Pesticides for agricultural use are mainly kept in the farmers’

houses - either suspended from the roof or stored on walls -along with spraying equipment, if any. In some cases, farmers

bury pesticides underground for security. Distributors almost all

store pesticides with edible commodities. For instance, in one

study area, malathion produced in the Adami Tulu Pesticide

Factory was stored with commodities such as sugar, candy

and biscuits.

Study approach and objectives

Key results of primary data collection

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Research in two regions of the Rift Valley - Oromia and

Southern Nations, Nationalities and peoples Region

(SNNPR) - comprised of a literature review, semi-structured

interviews with 170 farmers, group discussions, and

observations in the field. The study aimed to:

• assess the level and types of pesticides used by

farmers;• quantify and evaluate the storage conditions of obsolete

and useful stocks of pesticides; and

• identify empty pesticide container management

practices.

The major crops cultivated in the study area are maize,

sorghum, wheat, barley, tef and pulses. Because of the

relative intensification of agriculture in the study area, there

is a general trend to use high yielding varieties, pesticides,

and fertilizers.Map of the study area

Distributers of pesticides

Education level of the head of the households


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Applying pesticidesEighty-two percent of respondents apply pesticides on their

field once a year for their main crops, 15% spray twice a

year and very few use pesticides more than twice a year.

Only 20% of the interviewed farmers use some form of

protective equipment (such as covering mouth and nose

with a piece of cloth, hats, overalls, aprons, shoes) during

spraying. The majority who use no protective equipment cite

lack of awareness of the dangers of chemical pesticides and

unavailability of protective equipment with affordable price.Seventy-four percent of respondents said that pesticides do

not affect their health. Records from four health centers

visited revealed serious health effects in farming

communities, including death, as a result of improper

pesticide storage and use.

About 91% of the farmers interviewed prepared their pesticides close to water sources (see photo) used

by local people for drinking, cooking and other household purposes. In all, 61% washed their pesticides

sprayers and other equipment on the farm field.

Pesticide and container disposal

Seventy-two percent of respondents reported re-using pesticide containers for storing food, otherproducts and general domestic purposes.This may have significant implications on human health, and

clearly indicates that there is little awareness of proper disposal of containers.The remainder buried the

pesticides containers, but this is not a recommended strategy. One farmer, Ato Feyeso, said: “We

normally dispose pesticides containers in the nearby area without consideration for their damage on the

environment.This is largely because of lack of awareness on the impact of pesticides on the

environment and human health.” Almost 10% of farmers report having some product remaining at the

end of the season which will be used in the next cropping season.

TrainingNinety-one percent of farmers interviewed did not receive

any training related to pesticide management, and theremaining 9% received it some years ago, which limits its

relevance to the continuously changing pesticides products

and application technology. Training mainly focused on how

to prepare and use pesticides, and did not sufficiently cover

product specifications, labelling and storage. Only 9% of the

farmers said that they were trained on the disposal of

pesticides.This training was provided to the farmers by DAs,

government agencies, NGOs and even by sales peoples at

the distributing outlets.

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A farmer applying pesticides bare feet and with out

protective devices, accompanied by his 8 Year old daughter

Pesticides (malathion) being stored in a local commodity

shop with other household goods

The flower industry

Floriculture began in a limited way in 1984 has recently expanded rapidly, occupying over 2000ha.

Given the wide range of pesticides used, the human health and environmental problems reported in

other countries with established flower industries, and the biodiversity value of the Rift Valley Lakes,

utmost priority should be given for effective pesticide management. Recent studies show that 18 of the

96 insecticides and nematicides imported by the flower farms were not registered in MPS-Code 2006

list, and similarly for 19 of the 105 fungicides (Ethiopian Agriculture Research Institute). These are likely

to be underestimates, as the lack of a coordinated system makes it highly likely that the list did not

capture all the chemical pesticides imported. The import of large quantities of pesticides without passing

through the registration system of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development presents a highrisk for accumulation of future obsolete stockpiles. It also puts workers and nearby populations at risk of

exposure to unregistered pesticides. The Oromia Regional State, where 63 out of the 65 flower farms

are located, is one of the regions with the highest accumulation of obsolete pesticides demonstrating

the urgent need for designing a robust system for pesticide registration and management, including

effectively implementation.


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Recommendations

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Reverse trend of increasing pesticide useFarmers are increasing their use of pesticides despite rising prices, and aremoving away from

traditional ways of pest control. Seventy five percent of interviewed farmers in the study area believe

that they can not sustain the current level of agricultural production without the use of pesticides.

Given that almost 10% of farmers have pesticides remaining at the end of the season which are at risk

of becoming obsolete, a reduction in pesticide use would clearly reduce this risk. Investment in organic

and IPM production, and promotion of traditional pest control and strategies for healthy local food

production can all help reduce reliance on pesticides and the problem of unwanted small quantities of

pesticides.

The study identified three targets for training and awareness to address inappropriate storage,

marketing, handling and disposal of pesticide related wastes at the community level.

1. The farming community need regular training, with special

emphasis on handling and removal of obsolete pesticides. A

monitoring programme should assess its implementation and

impact. An overall strategy should be designed to deal with

issues relating to obsolete and banned pesticides.

2. The informal sector is an important supplier of pesticides to

farmers, but it lacks training on storage of pesticides at the shop

level, safe handling and the appropriate advice to farmers.

Regulatory mechanisms that encourage competitiveness in

supply may improve the quality of pesticides available.

3. The community, including women and children, could

help reduce the risks and problems caused by empty containers

and inappropriate storage of pesticides in houses. Awareness-

raising could be done through community meetings, preparation

of posters and leaflets, action oriented workshops and

short-term training.

Inadequate coordination in pesticides managementFarmers in the study area indicated that there was little coordination among the different stakeholders

involved in the supply, storage, application, and disposal of pesticides. This has resulted in unnecessary

and costly accumulation of pesticides and has compromised their effectiveness.

Regulators of pesticides need to be empowered to register, monitor and implement effective control of

pesticide storage, distribution, and disposals at federal, regional and woreda levels. The capacity

building could be provided through training, mentoring, and technical assistance targeting the key

players in pesticide imports, distribution, storage and applications. It would also require building

partnerships between local governments, civil society, and the private sector to be able to respond and

deal effectively with specific pesticide problems at local levels.

A farmer preparing pesticides close to

ground water

The Africa Stockpiles Programme aims to eliminate and prevent obsolete stockpiles throughout Africa. This

pamphlet series provides summaries of case studies conducted by NGOs, which present information and a civil

society perspective, and contribute to a greater understanding among NGOs about the problems and concerns

around obsolete pesticides. See www.africastockpiles.org, www.pan-uk.org, www.pan-afrique.org for more

information.

This pamphlet is based on the research Pesticide Use, Accumulations and Impacts: A Case Study in the Rift Valley,

Ethiopia by Environment and Social Assessment International.

For more information contact Eloise Touni, PAN UK , email: [email protected]

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Pesticide Use Accumulation and Impacts