adminThe Herald, September 29, 1989
AGRICULTURE is now impossible without pesticides, although the World Health Organisation says about 2 million people are poisoned by pesticides every year.
According to Dr Shadrack Mlambo, the head of Plant Protection Research Institute in Harare, agriculture in Zimbabwe could not have advanced to its present stage without pesticides.
According to a journal published by the International Research Centre of Canada, Report, most deaths on farms in the Third World can be attributed to pesticide poisoning.
It says farm workers often do not follow instructions on labels of pesticide containers.
However, as Dr Mlambo said in an interview yesterday, farmers in Zimbabwe were aware of the dangers posed by pesticides because they had agencies to keep them informed.
He said that the deaths attributed to pesticide poisoning, about 90 percent were due to deliberate rather than accidental causes.
Dr Mlambo said that and other research centres were developing options to reduce the country’s independence on pesticides.
These included crop rotation which was very effective in denying pests conditions to thrive in. The use of insects which lived on other insects had also been used successfully both in Zimbabwe and other countries.
Even certain bacteria, fungi and viruses had been found to be very effective against some pests.
Dr Mlambo said these organisms were being used together with minimum pesticides to kill caterpillars infesting soya bean and tuber moths attacking potatoes.
“Some countries have expressed in this research with some even sending their researcher here to learn of our methods,” he said.
The predator method was also being used against the against the hyacinth weed which was growing in Lake Mcllwaine.
A weevil, imported into the country, had been found to be effective against the weed.
Although it could take years before the weed was destroyed, Dr Mlambo did not doubt it could be overcome.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Pesticides are agrochemicals used in agricultural lands, public health programmes, and urban green areas in order to protect plants and humans from various diseases.
However, due to their known ability to cause a large number of negative health and environmental effects, their side effects can be an important environmental health risk factor.
As nation states gravitate toward smart and green economies, the continued use of pesticides should be revisited, considering the attendant side effects on the environment and the health of both humans and animals.
Online Reporter