A new study has found that almost half of the world's farmers are poisoned by pesticides every year. The research, commissioned by Pesticide Action Network and published in the journalFrontiers in Public Health, estimates there are 402-433 million cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning among farmers and farm workers annually. Based on a worldwide farming population of 934 million, this means approximately 46% of farmers are affected each year.
The study used publicly available data from 2006 to 2023. Southern Asia recorded the highest estimated number of poisonings, followed by Southeast Asia and East Africa. The overall highest national incidence was in Burkina Faso, West Africa, where nearly 84% of farmers and farm workers reported experiencing poisoning.
The research also estimated that about 11,000 deaths occur each year due to pesticide poisoning, with nearly 60% of these fatalities in India. The authors noted that despite global efforts to highlight the dangers, pesticide use has continued to grow steadily, with 3.8 million tonnes used in 2023 — a doubling since 1990.
Jayakumar Chelaton, executive director of Pesticide Action Network India, said the research exposes a "crisis that can no longer be ignored." The study's authors are calling for "immediate action," including implementing a UN recommendation to phase out highly hazardous pesticides.
Dr. Sheila Willis, head of international programmes at Pesticide Action Network UK, said: "Now that the scale of suffering has been revealed, farmers must be supported to access safer alternatives to protect their health and that of their families."
The study did not consider the impact of pesticide exposure on the estimated 84 million children working in agriculture, nor did it examine long-term health effects. Acute pesticide poisoning was defined in the study as any illness or health effect experienced a short time after exposure.
Génon Jensen, executive director of the Health and Environment Alliance, expressed deep concern about the findings: "We are extremely concerned about the devastating health impacts from pesticide poisonings – both the acute impacts mentioned in this study but also chronic exposures that farm workers and communities face."
Hélène Nicora, director general of Parkinson's Europe, said there is growing evidence linking pesticide exposure to the development of Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder in which parts of the brain become damaged over time, affecting movement and balance. She noted that France, Germany and Italy all recognize Parkinson's as an occupational disease for farmers.
Farmers and farm workers are mainly exposed to pesticides during preparation and application, as well as when touching treated crops or contaminated equipment and clothing. The study is described as the most robust to date, but it also highlights that available information on pesticide poisoning is inadequate. The authors are calling for standardized surveillance and reporting protocols so that pesticide-related poisonings become reliable and comparable.