Study Reveals Nearly Half of Global Farmers Suffer Annual Pesticide Poisoning
A recent study, commissioned by Pesticide Action Network and published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, indicates that an estimated 402 million to 433 million cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning affect farmers and farm workers globally each year. This figure suggests that approximately 46% of the world's farming population, which stands at 934 million, experiences poisoning annually. The highest incidence rates were observed in southern Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa, with Burkina Faso reporting the highest national incidence at nearly 84% of its farmers and farm workers. The study also found that pesticide poisoning leads to an estimated 11,000 deaths annually, with almost 60% of these occurring in India. Despite global efforts to highlight the dangers, pesticide use has doubled since 1990, reaching 3.8 million metric tons in 2023. The research defines acute pesticide poisoning as any illness or health effect experienced shortly after exposure and did not account for the impa... 
