Consumption
of pesticides by agriculture
TX-1
Dispersion
of Toxic Substances
Pressure
1 Indicator
definition and unit of measurement
The
total amount of pesticide consumption by agriculture per year (unit:
tonne/year). Consumption is assumed to equal use on farm land. Pastures and
land with permanent crops such as orchards, vineyards etc., are included in
farm land.
2 Placement
in the framework
5EAP:
Chapter
4: Selected target sectors, section 4.4: The agriculture sector, table 4:
Agriculture and forestry .
Chapter
5: The themes and targets of the programme, section 5.4: Management of water
resources, table 11: Water quantity and water quality.
Agenda
21:
Chapter
14: Promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development.
Chapter
19: Environmentally-sound management of toxic chemicals, including prevention
of illegal international traffic in toxic and dangerous products (section F).
International
conventions and agreements:
A
protocol on atmospheric transboundary transport of persistent organic
pollutants is presently being negotiated under the UNECE LRTAP (Geneva, 1979).
FAO’s
international code of conduct on the distribution and use of pesticides (Rome,
1986; modified 11/89).
Ranking:
Core
ranking:
1
(63%)
Policy
Relevance:
1
(3.4)
Analytical
Soundness:
1
(3.3)
Responsiveness:
2
(2.8)
Most
appropriate related state indicator:
Accumulated
amounts of pesticides per farm land area.
3 Significance
Purpose:
This
indicator represents the total amount of pesticides used by the agricultural
sector per year. Persistent pesticides can cause adverse environmental effects.
Better knowledge of used amounts helps activities aiming at a reduction of the
consumption to a level strictly adjusted to the actual situation of the farm
land. In that way the emissions can be kept at a minimum level.
Relevance:
Pesticides
is a diverse group of chemical substances. Some older types in use are
persistent and accumulate in farm land and crops. Newer types tend to be less
persistent. Types used reflect social and economic status in different parts of
society. Over-dosage and accumulation in crops and farm land are not
sustainable practices.
Linkages
to other pressure indicators:
There
is a linkage with TX-2: Emissions of persistent organic pollutants by economic
activity and TX-3: Toxic chemicals consumption by economic activity.
Targets:
The
5EAP calls for a “significant reduction of pesticide use per unit of land
under production ...”.
4 Methodological
description and underlying definitions
Underlying
definitions and concepts:
The
quantity of pesticides consumed by agriculture is indirectly related to
production capacity of land areas. Increasing wealth and hardening competition
among producers may result in that agriculture uses increasing amounts of
pesticides. There is also a possibility for synergistic effects, due to other
activities in society, which result in a larger use of pesticides. Such
activities may be diffuse emissions of toxic substances or enhanced formation
of surface near ozone, making crops less vital and thus more sensitive to
noxious organisms.
Measurement
methods:
This
indicator will be the result of sales statistics. Such statistics exist in
several countries e.g. Kemikalieinspektionen in Sweden.
Limitations
of the indicator:
What
is important is to reduce emissions. Consumed amounts are not truly
proportional to emitted amounts. Dosage per area is one factor that influences
the emitted amount . Storage by consumers is difficult to handle but will
likely affect statistics only in a short time span due to the costs related to
store-keeping. The group of pesticides is heterogeneous. Persistence, toxicity
and recommended area dose differ within the group.
Alternative
definitions:
The
total amount of pesticide consumption by agriculture per year and per farm land
area (unit: tonnes/year and area). Consumption is
set
assumed to equal use on farm land. Pastures and land with permanent crops such
as orchards, vineyards etc., are included in farm land.
