Half of the World’s Farmers Suffer Annual Pesticide Poisoning, Study Finds

A new analysis of publicly available data covering 2006-2023 estimates that 402-433 million farmers and farm workers experience unintentional acute pesticide poisoning each year. With a worldwide farming population of roughly 934 million, this translates to about 46 % of all farmers being poisoned annually. The highest number of cases was recorded in southern Asia, followed by southeast Asia and east Africa. Burkina Faso reported the greatest national incidence, with nearly 84 % of its farm workers affected.

The Guardian

The study, commissioned by the Pesticide Action Network and published in *Frontiers in Public Health*, also calculated roughly 11 000 pesticide-related deaths per year, about 60 % of which occur in India. Global pesticide consumption reached 3.8 million tonnes in 2023, a volume that has doubled since 1990. The authors note that the analysis excluded the 84 million children working in agriculture and did not assess long-term health effects; acute poisoning was defined as any illness occurring shortly after exposure.

The Guardian

Dr Sheila Willis, head of international programmes at Pesticide Action Network UK, called for immediate support for farmers to access safer alternatives. Hélène Nicora, director general of Parkinson’s Europe, highlighted “overwhelming evidence” linking pesticide exposure to Parkinson’s disease, noting that France, Germany and Italy now recognize the condition as an occupational disease for farmers.

The Guardian

The report underscores growing concerns about chronic health impacts, including neurodegenerative disorders. Rendert Algra, a farmer from the Netherlands, told a Friends of the Earth Europe webinar that his own Parkinson’s diagnosis may be tied to years of pesticide use on his family farm. Experts emphasized the need for standardized surveillance and reporting to make pesticide-related illnesses comparable across regions.

The Guardian

• “Now that the scale of suffering has been revealed, farmers must be supported to access safer alternatives to protect their health and that of their families.” — Dr Sheila Willis, the head of international programmes at Pesticide Action Network UK.

The Guardian