Pesticides

Natural calamities attributed to pesticide use are raising awareness in both the general populace and among industry experts of the potential environmental hazards of the chemicals. Regardless of the validity of the claims, pesticide issues have seeped into the global consciousness and conscience; and with the Green movement on the roll, these issues may pose problems for pesticide manufacturers who aren't making efforts in sustainability and more importantly, making those efforts known.

An end run around the challenges facing pesticide manufacturers may be found in biotech. Biotechnology is steadily gaining acceptance around the globe. According to a report from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), developing countries planted more biotech crops than industrialized countries for the first time ever.

From the perspective of the pesticide industry, food issues such as eco-friendliness; health and safety; and food supply cannot be approached cohesively through the generalized dichotomy of organic vs. non-organic or green vs. non-green.

The industry is not blind to shifting sensitivities and recognizes that conservation and innovation are necessary in caring for the Earth’s limited resources and for the future wellbeing of all life on Earth. Even within the large and developed business of pesticides and agriculture, companies are trying to integrate preferred practices that are more palatable to the public and to the Earth while at the same time maintaining food production levels and earnings. Pesticides may never be a totally green industry, but it can embrace sustainable practices that integrate the most modern social, economic and environmental needs-based solutions and still provide for the food needs of people around the world.