World of pesticides

Pesticides are substances or mixtures used for the purpose of preventing growth, controlling or destroying various organisms including some fungi, bacteria, plants, and also animals.

Svet pesticida

Chemically speaking, pesticides can be divided between organic and inorganic, and synthetic and biological. They are used in agriculture at all stages of plant development including also later storage and transport. People have been using them for centuries since they are supposed to help with larger yield and thus to meet our need for food of rapidly growing world population.

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THEY ARE EVERYWHERE

Around 2.8 million tonnes of pesticides are consumed annually in agriculture (2019), and their use is increasing every year. We are not yet sufficiently aware of the effects of pesticides on human health and the environment, particularly the chronic ones. It is wrong to think that pesticides only affect the target organism and that they do not harm the environment and other organisms. They can be found everywhere today – in our food, in the air we breathe, in the water we drink. Pesticides have also been found in mother’s milk. They are found both in the tree barks and in the fat tissue of whales.

Plants absorb dangerous substances and transport them to their organs. A part of pesticides remains on the surface of plants and some pass to the environment where they are passing through different food chains and organisms’ environments.

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HEALTH-DAMAGING

When eating fruit and vegetables produced on land treated with pesticides, these pesticides also enter our bodies. If we just think how we are similar to animals that are on fields target of pesticides, we can come to the conclusion that their dangerous effects will sooner or later affect the human species as well.

The negative effects of pesticides on humans have already been observed in newborns. Long-term exposure to pesticides can lead to severe toxic effects on the nervous system, hematopoietic organs, kidney, liver, hormonal balance disturbances, developmental disabilities, cancer, and up to 10x more occurrences of infertility.

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“DIRTY DOZEN” FOR 2020

The largest and most used group of pesticides are herbicides (weed-suppressors), many of which find themselves in the food we buy. The Environmental Working Group in the USA has placed strawberries at the top of the list of most polluted fruit and vegetables (”Dirty Dozen”) for 2020 followed by spinach and kale. At least two different pesticides were found to be present in more than 90% of samples of these foods.

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BE SMART

The problem of pesticides and their widespread use is alarming. If we want to eat healthily, it is important to choose food that is produced naturally without the use of pesticides. Organic production also allows the use of certain pesticides, so we need to be extra careful about what we choose to eat.

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NATURE AND PEOPLE FRIENDLY

In LoginEKO, we use various preparations for the protection of plants against diseases and pests. These preparations are made on the basis of the naturally-occurring active substances or microorganisms and are effective in reducing the occurrence of diseases and pests of our crops. We also use preparations containing various nutrients or plant hormones known as bio-stimulators that naturally strengthen plant resistance.

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CROP ROTATION

We take care of our fields by choosing a wide crop rotation (logical and temporal sequence of the crops and vegetables) to prevent the occurrence of disease and especially the occurrence of soil pests with the frequent cultivation of the same or related crops in the same field. In the crop rotation, we also include cultures with a phytosanitary effect that can slightly reduce the number of soil pests. Our goal is to ensure the health of our plants in an environmentally friendly way and to produce ecologically sound, healthy food without residues of harmful substances.

Alenka Skvarč and Lea Lukšič

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“The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Login5 Foundation.”

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