As part of the launch event for the FARM Ecuador project, we created this video highlighting our most important goals and objectives for the country through this initiative over its five-year implementation:

Over 7,000 people will be part of the initiative nationwide.
Approximately 300 tons of greenhouse gas emissions mitigated.
More than 1,000 tons of pesticides eliminated from agricultural use.
Improved management of plastic use in agriculture at the national level.

We invite you to watch the full video here:

Reducing herbivore damage using biodiversity instead of insecticide

Pesticides aren’t always necessary: researchers at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, have conducted a comprehensive field study showing that damage from herbivores can be reduced by using biodiversity within a plant species. Different plant genotypes can cooperate to help fend off herbivorous insects.

“Selling pesticides like biscuits” – challenges of pesticide governance in Zambia

This is good "example" study from Zambia conducted to identify the various challenges affecting public, private and civil governance of pesticides along their life-cycle. I know IAPRI well and can make introductions if any FARM CHILD Projects would like to engage with them to discuss further.

Use of pesticides is rapidly rising in many parts of Africa. While farmers cheer them as powerful substitutes for manual weed and pest control, the precarious institutional environment has been resulting in the uncontrolled use of these inputs, frequently with alarming consequences for the environment and health. An exploratory study in cooperation between Germany’s University of Hohenheim and the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) in Zambia looks for ways to address the underlying governance challenges.

In the study, we systematically identified the various challenges that affect private, public and civil governance of pesticides along the pesticide life cycle, using the literature and field research in Zambia.

The research combined four types of qualitative data collection. First, we reviewed Zambian pesticide laws and policies and compared them to international reference documents to identify eventual gaps in their design and implementation. Second, we did 13 participatory mapping sessions (Net-Maps) with key stakeholders along the pesticide life cycle to identify key actors, linkages and their influence levels as well as key constraints. To specify critical aspects, we interviewed an additional 87 key informants representing diverse stakeholders (including private sector, government agencies, research and NGOs).

Finally, pesticide management practices and perceived impacts were assessed in 18 farmer group discussions (with 159 randomly sampled farmers), using Participatory Impact Diagrams, which combine mind maps and scoring to reconstruct positive as well as negative causal impact chains graphically in groupwork. Complementary insights were gained through site observation of pesticide markets and interviews with pesticide traders. The field research took place between October and December 2021, in the capital Lusaka and in selected districts in the Eastern Province.

A big pleasure to present FARM at ABIM - Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting 2024?
It was an incredible opportunity to share FARM's approach on promoting safer alternatives such as biocontrol
In my intervention, I highlighted the GEF-funded FARM programme as a vivid example to enact structural changes through:
1. Policy Shifts – Stronger regulations and harmonized standards are key.
2. Reoriented Financing – We must reshape agricultural subsidies and unlock finance for safer alternatives.
3. Strengthened Capacity Building – Farmers need the skills and resources to adopt sustainable practices.
4. Bridging Knowledge Gaps – Improved coordination and information sharing across the crop value chain are essential.
? FARM offers a global platform for participation, where governments, private sector, farmers, and the biocontrol industry can work together to detoxify agriculture and shape a healthier, sustainable food system.
Looking forward to collaborating with all of you in driving this transition forward! ?? check here for more details: https://www.abim.ch

Can pesticide-free farming reduce the use of harmful agrochemicals and act as a bridge to organic farming?

Pesticide-free food is emerging as a third pathway between conventional and organic produce. It provides consumers with a more sustainable choice compared to conventional products, at a more affordable price than organic products.

Through price premium schemes, mainly supported by Migros, the country's largest supermarket chain, and government regulation and support, Switzerland is encouraging farmers to adopt practices that reduce the use of hazardous chemicals.

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"In 2023, [Switzerland] committed to reducing the harmful environmental effects of pesticides by half by 2027. To achieve this target, the government has restricted the use of hazardous chemicals and introduced direct payments to farmers..."

"The appetite for such voluntary “middle path” initiatives is growing in Europe."

"Ultimately the success of pesticide-free farming hinges on financial support."

Climate change is often referred to as a threat multiplier, this article looks at how a warming world is also creating a more toxic world.

In rising heat, not only are bodies more susceptible to health issues, but many chemical pesticides become less effective and more toxic, while pest attacks become more frequent.

Elimination and substitution of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) is posited as the most effective way to prevent exposure and protect human and environmental health.

Some excerpts:

"...873 million agricultural workers globally are vulnerable to pesticides and other harmful agrochemicals."

"According to a 2020 paper published in BMC Public Health,  385 million cases of unintentional, acute pesticide poisoning occur globally yearly, resulting in 11,000 mortalities. Roughly 44% of farmers are poisoned by pesticides yearly, the highest rates in South Asia."

"...the average pesticide use per agricultural worker has doubled, from 0.16 kilogram per worker (kg/worker) in 2005 to 0.3 kg/worker in 2021. Global pesticide use reached a staggering 3.54 million metric tons in 2021, a 94% increment from 1990."

"Looking at the declining farm production, More suggests shifting toward the ecological methods of pest control. 'We can't keep arguing anymore that organic farming yields less produce. If we keep using harmful pesticides, the environment and climate change will eventually destroy everything,' he says."

An interesting article that examines the power of outside forces, from other governments to PR firms and multinational corporations, in shaping Kenya's farming landscape.

One solution that seems to emerge from this investigation - education and awareness raising on the harms of HHPs and other toxic agrochemicals, as well as the influences shaping local decision-making.

A few excerpts:

"More than 75% of the agrochemicals used in Kenya in 2020 – the latest figures publicly available – are categorised as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs)...Among those HHPs is paraquat, manufactured by the Swiss-based agro-technology giant Syngenta, which has increasingly been linked to Parkinson’s disease – an incurable degenerative brain disorder. Banned in the EU, paraquat remains legally available in Kenya."

"An investigation, led by Lighthouse Reports with reporting from The New Humanitarian and other international media outlets, has found that a 'reputation management' firm – partly funded by US taxpayers – has been quietly undermining efforts to protect people in parts of Africa and Asia from the health threats posed by hazardous pesticides."