Pesticides are chemical agents designed to combat pests and diseases of agricultural crops and more (to eliminate mites – acaricides, weeds – herbicides, plant fungi – defoliants; there are more than 100 known types), and now they represent uncontrolled stocks of banned and outdated pesticides, as well as a threat to public health and the environment.
The very word “pesticides” is perceived as a potential threat when translated from Latin. Literally, it means “pestis” – “plague” and “cid” – “to kill.” Thus, all pesticides are poisons. For both agricultural pests and humans. And primarily for those who are directly involved in treating crops.
New methods of combating crop diseases, alongside substantial benefits, have also proved to bring just as much harm. One only needs to travel through rural areas for this problem to become apparent.
The research group of the Environmental Movement “BIOM”, together with PAN UK and the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention, conducted a comprehensive study of the impact of pesticides on vulnerable population groups in the villages of Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Chui regions of Kyrgyzstan as part of an EU/FAO partnership project aimed at enhancing capacity for the elimination and prevention of obsolete pesticides as a model for handling unused hazardous chemicals in the territory of the former Soviet Union.
A total of more than 200 respondents from 13 villages in three regions were interviewed, and group discussions included women, men, and children. The age range of respondents was not limited.
The researchers focused on issues of acquiring, using, and disposing of pesticides. The study revealed a shocking fact – farmers in the country are very poorly informed about what these chemicals really are, and what health consequences they carry. The result of this is a careless attitude to their own health and the health of their children, widespread disregard for basic safety requirements when working with particularly hazardous chemicals. Yet this poses a direct threat to the gene pool of the country.
Here are some testimonies from eyewitnesses.
Cholpon Murzakanov, Head of the Lenin AO of the Jalal-Abad region, which includes 3 villages – Symkat, Ortosay, and Vinsovkhoz, reported that there are 7,050 people or 1,468 households living in the AO, almost all unemployed. Parents and children live on the money of young family members – migrants, because there are no jobs in the AO. With the advent of Independence, the former state farm, which employed the entire local population, fell into disrepair. Due to high population density, farmers received very small land allocations and engaged in “natural” farming. Small-scale farming did not contribute to increasing yields. People continue to plant traditional crops, such as cotton; however, recently it has become a non-profitable agricultural crop: there are high costs but virtually no benefits. Farmers are replacing traditional crops with others without experience in their cultivation. Crop rotation is often not conducted, which in turn contributes to the spread of weeds and pests of agricultural crops.
According to the chief specialist of the Baghys AO on social issues, Adina Kotonova, it comprises 7 villages. These are Besh Bala, Safarovka, Kyzyl-Tuu, Baghys, and Sary-Bulak. Family count – 3,756 ha. Residents – 20,298 people. And only 7 schools, 1 kindergarten, 1 hospital, and social institutions operate on the territory of the AO. People survive through agriculture. However, the yield of traditional crops decreases every year. There are several reasons. The main ones are a lack of irrigation water and, consequently, drought. Accordingly, pests benefit from this: they multiply more and more.
Shem Suleevich Daourova from the village “Iskra” in the Chui region says: “There is a big problem today with agricultural machinery, especially with combines. Moreover, they cannot be fully utilized due to small land plots. For the same reason, it is difficult to apply chemicals to crops. Additionally, the fact that different crops are grown nearby hampers agricultural processing. In the USSR, one culture would grow on 100-150 hectares, and it was easier to eliminate pests then.”
Abdikhalim Atakhanov, a land issue specialist in the Aravan district of the Osh region, completely agrees. He stated that land allocations per capita in the Osh region are very small due to high population density – 8.5 hundredths. “People do not know how to plan plantings; they plant whatever they want. More often based on the previous year’s yield. Monoculture is often cultivated on the same field year after year. Therefore, without pesticides in the current situation, agrarians cannot survive.”
According to rural economist Zoi Popova from the Chapaevsky Ayil Okmotu in the Chui region, “Currently, the village lacks many things.” Among other things, there is no centralized supply of good first and second reproduction seeds, pesticides, or mineral fertilizers. As a result, varietal qualities of agricultural crops are lost year after year, and pests are quickly established.
“A farmer – a cotton grower must inevitably deal with pesticides. Already before planting, he must treat the seeds, otherwise pests immediately arise. For example, five species of “head blight” appear. In this case, all the grain is only good for pig feed; it cannot be used to bake bread,” says Zoya Mikhailovna. “Here, I plant safflower. If you spray with agrochemicals, then the safflower boxes open up well.”
The conclusion is unequivocal – pesticides are used. But how? According to Almaz Alakunov, head of the plant protection and pesticide registration department at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Chemicalization Department, it is widely done with violations of safety regulations. Farmers cannot afford to buy specialized clothing, as required by safety regulations. It is easier for them to save on their own health.
Of course, the packaging of chemical preparations has instructions for proper use and storage, but they are often ignored in the absence of the most necessary protective equipment (goggles, gloves, respirators).
The results of the survey showed that a complex situation has emerged almost universally in Kyrgyzstan’s agriculture. This includes the remoteness of villages from district centers, economic backwardness, administrative neglect, and sometimes also the low education and religious ignorance of the population – all of this together amounts to a diagnosis of the living standards of rural residents.
Gulmira Kozhobergenova, a representative of the Civil Alliance for Improving Nutrition Quality, believes that the problem of improper use of pesticides threatens Kyrgyzstan with catastrophe. First, the incidence of allergic diseases and anemia is increasing; every season, doctors register a “spike” in poisoning among farmers. Secondly, pesticides penetrate the soil for a long time, destroying biodiversity.
The current situation has long required increased attention from the state. The alarming symptoms are already so evident that it is time to prescribe serious treatment and take effective measures if we do not want such a catastrophe.
“Yes, there are many problems with pesticide use in the country. Urgent serious work is needed to conduct an information campaign among farmers and their families on reducing the risks of pesticide use in agriculture and using alternatives to pesticides,” believes Anna Kirilenko, coordinator of the Environmental Movement “BIOM.”
