Sustainable solutions to improve environmental and human health

Agriculture is the most important user of environmental resources, including water, forests, pastures, soil and nutrients. Poorly managed agriculture can lead to environmental degradation and pollution, deplete natural resources and compromise food safety and human health. Sustainable agriculture provides environmental services that are important to society in urban and rural areas, locally and globally.

As agricultural pests become more resistant to the chemicals used to control them (pesticides), farmers can become trapped in a vicious cycle of unsustainable debt through increased costs of pesticide applications with the accompanying risks to health. Farmers can exit this cycle by finding alternative approaches to reduce the quantity or toxicity of pesticides needed to control pests.

Successful control of the cotton bollworm caterpillar in India, Pakistan and China has been achieved using less insecticide through more timely and efficient application, and the use of natural predators. In India, the Government has promoted messages from DFID research to 3500 growers in 26 districts in 9 states. As a result, average insecticide use has declined by 56%, yield increased by 13% and net income by 74%. Participating farmers now benefit by purchasing less insecticide and by reduced hazards from insecticide application.

Fly damage to fruit crops in Pakistan deprives poor households of a nutritionally valuable food source. Consumption of fly infested fruit can cause diarrhoea, especially in children. Alternative control methods developed use ‘bait spots’, in which a protein source (needed by the flies to mature their eggs) is mixed with a very small quantity of insecticide. These kill the flies more effectively than traditional blanket sprays over a whole area and reduce insecticide use by 95%.

Contamination of underground water, from excessive use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers in agriculture, can be a serious cause of domestic water pollution, along with the discharge of industrial wastes and the lack of effective sewage treatment. Use of water quality test kits has been initiated in schools in Kumasi, Ghana. Children and their teachers have assisted in raising awareness of local water management needs in their communities. The national environmental protection agency is now investigating the use of the kits in schools throughout the country.

Pests such as rodents contaminate food and water supplies, and can even spread diseases such as leptospirosis and bubonic plague to humans. Rodenticides used to control them are expensive and often toxic, leading to health risks and environmental problems. Research in Mozambique and Bangladesh is examining the use of multi-catch traps, which are safer and cheaper than rodenticides, have a long life span and can be made locally using wire and small pieces of metal.

Throughout Asia, construction of water control structures and their subsequent poor management have altered ecosystems and interfered with the livelihoods of communities dependent on fish for nutrition and income. Natural fish stocks have declined by up to 60% during the last 15 years. In Laos, participatory research developed an integrated management system for village community reservoirs, including recommendations on stocking densities, fish species, access to resources, harvest periods and techniques and young fish production. This has helped local village communities increase fish yields and protect natural fish populations during the dry season.

Improved farming practices and approaches can help ensure the future viability of agriculture, not only to provide food, but also by allowing farmers to become better stewards of the environment and to enjoy improved health. These practices and approaches will depend on innovation developed through participatory research with beneficiaries whilst considering not only social and economic factors, but also the sustainability of the environment. A holistic approach should look at peoples’ strengths and opportunities, including the assets on which they depend. It should also analyse their vulnerabilities, and the policies and institutions that affect them.

Professor John Beddington
Manager, Fisheries Management Science Programme
Marine Resources
Assessment Group Ltd.
47 Princes Gate
London SW7 2QA
UK
j.beddington@ic.ac.uk

Dr. Christopher Floyd
Manager, Natural Resources Systems Programme
HTS Development Ltd.
Thamesfield House
Boundary Way
Hemel Hempstead
Herts HP2 7SR
UK
christopher.floyd@htsdevelopment.com

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