article · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Unsafe pesticide use among farmers across Africa presents significant risks to human health and the environment, yet evidence on effective interventions remains limited. To address this gap, the African Pesticide Intervention Project examined ongoing research and public health initiatives across the continent. The work incorporated a systematic literature review on African pesticide intervention studies, alongside a qualitative survey with regional stakeholders to pinpoint barriers to and facilitators of successful initiatives. These efforts culminated in an international workshop addressing occupational and environmental hazards, including acute poisoning, illicit street pesticides, container disposal, and the adoption of safer alternatives. Key priorities identified include delivering targeted training on pesticide application techniques, evaluating the real-world effectiveness of exposure reduction and behavioural change interventions, increasing public awareness, and strengthening policy implementation alongside regulatory enforcement.
Unsafe pesticide use poses severe dangers to agricultural workers and ecosystems across Africa. Identifying which safety interventions genuinely succeed helps policymakers, communities, and agricultural authorities design targeted education, enforce protective regulations, and promote safer alternatives, ultimately reducing acute poisonings and environmental contamination.
The abstract outlines policy, training, and research priorities rather than commercial technologies. However, the identified needs point to potential opportunities for organisations delivering agricultural training programmes, pest management alternatives, or container disposal solutions. The work represents an early-stage scoping and consensus-building exercise, so any related services or products remain distant from commercial deployment.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Despite the fact that several cases of unsafe pesticide use among farmers in different parts of Africa have been documented, there is limited evidence regarding which specific interventions are effective in reducing pesticide exposure and associated risks to human health and ecology. The overall goal of the African Pesticide Intervention Project (APsent) study is to better understand ongoing research and public health activities related to interventions in Africa through the implementation of suitable target-specific situations or use contexts. A systematic review of the scientific literature on pesticide intervention studies with a focus on Africa was conducted. This was followed by a qualitative survey among stakeholders involved in pesticide research or management in the African region to learn about barriers to and promoters of successful interventions. The project was concluded with an international workshop in November 2021, where a broad range of topics relevant to occupational and environmental health risks were discussed such as acute poisoning, street pesticides, switching to alternatives, or disposal of empty pesticide containers. Key areas of improvement identified were training on pesticide usage techniques, research on the effectiveness of interventions targeted at exposure reduction and/or behavioral changes, awareness raising, implementation of adequate policies, and enforcement of regulations and processes.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19158973
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
