Question Description
I need an explanation for this Health & Medical question to help me study.
I need a research paper on the effects of Agrochemicals on the health of the people
Explanation & Answer
Running head: POLITICS OF THE AGROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY
Politics of the Agrochemical Industry
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POLITICS OF THE AGROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY
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Politics of the Agrochemical Industry
Agrochemicals have taken over as the primary control mechanism for pests and weeds in
the agricultural world today. Chemicals have also been featured in use by traders looking to sell
products more expensively during the off-season through artificial ripening of fruits. The
agrochemical sector has leveraged his strong financial muscle to overcome the needed oversight
individuals and institutions who are supposed to be their watch dogs. The effects have been
depicted by evident income inequality, poor working conditions, lack of education and uninsured
healthcare. The structure of most agrochemical corporations allows for the continued injustice to
the people and exploitation of the agriculture sector due to the little and focus and attention it
gets. The policies made are done in isolation and each country is given powers to regulate
chemicals independently. This situation has birthed a complex relationship that has influenced
the economic and well-being of all the parties involved in agricultural production.
The distribution of proceeds that are in the agricultural production supply chain is not
fairly distributed to relatively represent the role each party plays. The strenuous economy has
pushed farmers to abandon the traditional control mechanisms that were safe to pursue
agrochemicals to increase production or in some cases to reduce the cost of labor. This forced
turnover to the costly agrochemicals eat up into their profits but has become a necessary evil
given the tolerance the pests have developed with the use of the synthetic pesticides. This
solution is short-lived and comes with adverse economic and health effects to the farmers in the
long run (Darçın E & Darçın M, 2017). The practice has created an unhealthy competition that
sees the small holder farmers kicked out because they don’t have the financial muscle compete
with investors with bigger interests and strong political ties. The lack of policies to protection of
these farmers has shown the failure of oversight bodies to regulate the markets to ensure
POLITICS OF THE AGROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY
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sustainable farming practices and fair competition among the farmers. This has accelerated the
usage of agrochemicals globally and consequently, increased adverse health effects to the
farmers and the consumers by extension.
The most common agrochemicals are pesticides and insecticides; they are the most used
remedies in farms to increase food production. The mode of operation of the chemicals is to
eliminate the pests that cause diseases to plants. This operation also exposes humans to the
effects of pesticides and insecticides. Looking at history, they were vital in alleviating disasters
in the agricultural sector, for instance, controlling the boll weevil and other fungal pests that
affected potatoes in the mid-20th century (Aktar, Sengupta & Chowdhury, 2009). These
significances lead to a divisive argument on the pros and cons of incorporating agrochemicals in
food production. When ...