Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy

Véronique Thériault, Wayne Jiang, Amadou Diarra, Steven Haggblade, Joseph Edmund, Joseph Ipou Ipou, and Abdramane Traore, 2020. Qualitative Assessment of Pesticide Risks in West Africa. Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Paper 169. East Lansing: Michigan State University.

Abstract

Pesticide use has grown rapidly in West Africa over the past decade and a half. Yet regulatory capacity has not kept pace with the rapid proliferation of pesticide products and on farm use. As a result, health and environmental impacts from the growing use of pesticides, despite their potential importance, remain largely unmonitored, underreported, and poorly understood by key stakeholders. In this paper, we assemble new evidence on pesticide risks for human health by identifying the most critical emerging pesticide risks and key danger cropping zones in West Africa. We rely on a three-step approach to assess potential pesticide risks across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Mali. In 2019, expert panels assembled in each country independently identified three active ingredients -- chlorpyrifos, glyphosate, and paraquat -- as potential threats to human health and the environment. To monitor and mitigate the risks associated with the growing use of pesticides, local scientists consider it essential to establish a structure in charge of toxicovigilance to coordinate and harmonize pesticide monitoring efforts. Sentinel monitoring sites for each country are proposed.