75% of Nigerian Women Farmers suffer Pesticide-related Health Challenges 

About seventy-five per cent of women farmers in Nigeria using chemical pesticides for farming activities have suffered pesticide-related health challenges.

This comes as research reveals that most small-scale farmers in Nigeria have little knowledge about the health and environmental implications of the pesticides they use.

Following this impact, the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria in partnership with the Alliance for Action on Pesticide in Nigeria held an actor engagement on “Pesticide Use Among Small-Scale Women Farmers in Nigeria- A sample of Four States.” The meeting took place in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

According to the National President of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria, Mary Afan, most pesticides used by women farmers in Nigeria have been banned or highly restricted in Europe, USA, Canada, India and China. She, therefore, urged farm associations in Nigeria to stop promoting its use by their members.

Mrs Afan also lamented that the food produce of Nigerian farmers have suffered rejection in developed countries due to the level of harmful substances detected in them owing to pesticides.

She called on the federal government to develop sustainable food produce preservation strategies to aid the reduction of pesticides use by fifty per cent and support farmers in understanding their environment.

“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) needs to develop sustainable food strategies that will reduce the use of pesticides by fifty per cent by 2030 and  provide strong support to farmers in their transition towards agroecology.

“FMARD and State Ministries of Agriculture should increase budget allocation for organic inputs, biopesticides, and agroecology,” she added.

Speaking on the levels of poisonous substances in pesticides available in the Nigerian market, Mrs Afan called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to introduce toxicity colour codes, according to their pesticide registration regulations. This, she said, would enable farmers and consumers to be informed of the level of toxicity based on the categories of active ingredients.

She added that it was pertinent that the NAFDAC updated its list of banned pesticides so that farmers could make safe choices and also safeguard their health.

“There is a need for NAFDAC to introduce toxicity colour codes on pesticide products in Sections 9 and 10 of the NAFDAC Pesticide Registration and Regulations of 2019.

“This will inform the mass of consumers of the various toxicity levels based on the categories of active ingredients,” she noted.

The Representative of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Abey Ashaolu, clarified that different regions’ conditions determined the level of toxicity of a pesticide and as a result, a ban of certain pesticides in developed countries may not actually translate to a ban in Nigeria due to the country’s tropical climate.

She added that farmers should rather follow the standard agricultural practices which involved the responsible use of pesticides.

Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency and other Farm Associations were present at the event.