What are pesticides?The term pesticide refers to any crop protection chemicals. They are classified according to the pests they control. Insecticides, rodenticides, herbicides, and fungicides are all used to control insects, rodents, weeds and fungi, mold and mildew. Herbicides are the most widely used chemicals in agricultures, Because these pesticides are used, farmers have the ability to profitably produce some crops in areas that may otherwise, be unsuitable. .
The effect of pesticides have gotten more serious than thought. The International Union of Food and Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers" Associations represents over 3 million waged agricultural workers. These workers are the people who work in the crop fields, orchards, glasshouses, livestock units, primary processing facilities, and associated activities such as crop processing and packaging, livestock food preparation, irrigation, pest management, and grain storage, to produce the world's food and commodities. They are employed on everything from small- and medium-sized farms to large, industrialised crop and livestock farms and plantations. .
They are waged workers because they do not own or rent the land on which they work nor the tools and equipment they use. In these respects they are a group distinct from farmers.
Agricultural workers use, or are exposed to, a variety of toxic, in specific like herbicides, insecticides, fungicides etc. Some workers are killed, many are poisoned, or suffer long-term health effects as a result. Furthermore, workers in developing countries continue to freely use pesticides which are banned or severely restricted in industrialised countries because of their toxicity to humans and/or the environment.
Accurate data on fatalities or poisonings are difficult to obtain. The United Nations World Health Organization estimates that each year 40,000 people die and 3-4 million more are seriously poisoned due to pesticides.
