Pesticides are Crop Protection Products. There is demand for foods produced using zero pesticides, but this option is not widely available. Food is usually produced using pesticides because they play a role in food production. It would be ideal to avoid using pesticides and produce high-quality fruit at the same time – but is this currently possible?
When an insect pest eats leaves, it damages the plant and lowers the quantity of food production. Pesticides are substances that protect agricultural production by stopping a pest from inflicting damage. Nobody wants to use pesticides if the same amount of food can be grown without them. Use of pesticides would be a waste of time, money and an unnecessary use of chemicals. The misconception that organic farmers do not use pesticides has made it appear that conventional farmers want to apply pesticides. This is not the case though, because both production systems use pesticides only when deemed necessary.
The thought of pesticide residues on fresh fruits and vegetables can seem distressing. What affect do these residues have on human health? Do the residue levels differ between organic and conventional foods?
A maximum limit of safe pesticide residues is determined which is much lower than the concentration that would cause damage to human health. Exposure to pesticides at high enough concentrations can undoubtedly have devastating health outcomes – because at high enough doses a chemical can be a poison. Pesticides from both organic and conventional origin have regulated safety limits. It does not matter which one is more toxic to human health because the legal use of each kind is well below any levels that would be harmful.
Organic foods have one-third as many pesticide residues as conventional foods.But believing there are health benefits of lower pesticide residues in organic food assumes that concentrations in conventional food cause poor health outcomes – when they do not. The human body can withstand low amounts of poisonous chemicals without harm. It is unlikely that a healthy adult would gain any health advantages by eating pesticide-free foods relative to foods with safe levels of low pesticide residues.
The environment must be respected to support future generations. Specific instructions minimize the impact on the environment (i.e., concentrations, timing, appropriate weather conditions). Synthetic insecticides were introduced to agriculture in the 1960s and herbicides were introduced in the 1970s. Both have greatly improved pest control and food production.
Pesticides are sprayed in open environments, so the chemicals undoubtedly reach the soil and water. Pesticides are toxic to the organisms they are targeting, so they must also be evaluated for their toxicity to humans, animals, birds, fish and other organisms. Specific instructions are given to minimize the impact of pesticides on the environment (i.e., concentrations, timing, appropriate weather conditions). Toxicity depends on how the chemical is toxic to an organism – in other words, the ‘mechanism of action’. Pesticides with a minor impact on health and the environment are those that are toxic only to the specific pests they are targeting. Synthetic pesticides are created by researchers to meet these safety criteria. There are specific pesticides available for organic farmers. It is also possible for organic and synthetic pesticides to have broadly toxic effects.
Organic pesticides are an alternative to synthetic pesticides. It is a common perception that organic pesticides might pose a low risk to the environment. This idea may be more complicated than it appears. The origin of the chemical does not determine its toxicity. In addition, the organic pesticides harmed other insects. This does not mean it is a general rule that organic pesticides are worse than conventional, but it does remind us of the need to evaluate all pesticides. We cannot assume that organic means better for the environment.
Genetic engineering (also known as genetically modified organisms and biotechnology) is a new technology where precise and useful changes are made to the genes of an organism. Genetically engineered plants increase crop yields, reduce broad sprays of pesticides, and increase nutritional value. However, genetic engineering does not abide by organic standards.
There have been conflicting results about the quality of food from organic and conventional production systems. This is partly due to the variation on farms being compared. Meaning, it would be unfair to compare an organic farm that receives adequate rainfall with a conventional farm in a drought, or vice versa. Similarly, we should not compare farm systems run by an exceptional manager versus a manager with little experience. When these comparisons are made they can create unrepresentative results.
If you were to visit several different farms you would begin to realize that each one is unique. The manager, their techniques, and their farm environment – they all differ. Differences that interfere with the comparison of only organic and conventional techniques include:
- Environment : (rainfall, wind, average temperatures, slope, soil type and quality, weed and pest pressure).
- Human resources: (managerial quality and attitude, level of farmer education, farmer understanding).