Environmental Health Division, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Research, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa.
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Natural Resources and the Environment, Johannesburg, South Africa.
PLoS One. 2018 May 10;13(5):e0196901. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196901. eCollection 2018.
Pesticides represent a potential public health hazard of note in farming communities. Accumulating evidence indicates that some pesticides used in agriculture act as hormone disrupters, with the potential to result in chronic health effects. Despite such a growing evidence base, pesticides remain the preferred method of pest control in agriculture worldwide. In many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, usage is on the increase. This qualitative study assessed changes in the usage of pesticides by Zimbabwean smallholder cotton farmers in the past 30 years. Farmers reported an increase in the usage of pesticides, specifically insecticides, since the early 1980s. An increase in pest populations was also reported. The findings suggested a bi-directional causal relationship between the increase in pest population and the increase in pesticide use. Factors which emerged to have collectively impacted on the changes include climate variability, limited agency on the part of farmers, power dynamics involving the government and private cotton companies and farmers' perceptions and practices. An Integrated Pest Management Policy for Zimbabwe is recommended to facilitate integration of chemical controls with a broad range of other pest control tactics. Continuous farmer education and awareness raising is further recommended, since farmers' perceptions can influence their practices.
农药在农业社区是一个值得关注的潜在公共卫生危害。越来越多的证据表明，一些农业中使用的农药会干扰激素，有可能导致慢性健康影响。尽管有这样一个不断增长的证据基础，但农药仍然是全球农业中首选的害虫控制方法。在撒哈拉以南非洲的许多地区，农药的使用正在增加。这项定性研究评估了过去 30 年来津巴布韦小农户棉花种植者使用农药的变化情况。农民报告称，自 20 世纪 80 年代初以来，农药的使用量（特别是杀虫剂）有所增加。报告还称，害虫数量也有所增加。调查结果表明，害虫种群的增加和农药使用的增加之间存在双向因果关系。出现的各种因素共同影响了这些变化，包括气候变异性、农民的有限代理机构、涉及政府和私营棉花公司的权力动态以及农民的看法和做法。建议津巴布韦实施综合虫害管理政策，以促进将化学控制与广泛的其他虫害控制策略相结合。还建议进一步对农民进行持续的教育和提高认识，因为农民的看法会影响他们的做法。
