Agricultural pesticides: allies in protecting the environment

Brazilian agriculture has become a world leader in food production and environmental preservation based on a lot of research, agronomic development and, why not say, the overcoming of its farmers. But one aspect draws attention: over the last few decades, the challenge of combating pests in the field - one of the biggest challenges for rural producers as we are in a country with a tropical climate, with more than one harvest per year, which favors the continuous emergence of this threat - has been overcome by the decisive advancement of science in crop protection. After all, it is pesticides that allow plants to grow and produce results, by protecting them from the attack and proliferation of insects, diseases and weeds, making them reach their productive potential even further.

More than that. The dissemination of good practices and the correct and safe use in the application of pesticides has a direct impact on the absence of contamination - since, if a food contains pests, it will not be offered for sale. Firstly because, once the infestation is controlled, it helps the rural producer to maintain crop productivity in balance and, consequently, the rational use of a series of other inputs necessary for daily agricultural activity: water, machinery fuel and elements of cultural treatments, just to name a few.

Secondly, because it acts on other biological and environmental aspects that are less known to the majority of the population. I bring some examples. When the whitefly attacks the plant, it leaves residues that encourage the emergence of a fungus that develops on the leaves, making them dark, which impairs photosynthesis. Plants attacked by the brown root bug present poor development due to nutritional and water deficiency, as the insect sucks the sap and injects toxic substances. The weakened plant dies. Larvae known as pinworms feed on plant roots, reducing support and absorption of water and nutrients. And adults of this species make holes and cuts in shoots and flowers.

The cotton boll weevil is an insect whose targets are flower buds, which end up with their leaves open, then turn yellow and fall off. The boll weevil can also attack the plant's flowers and apples. The root aphid population, in turn, is made up of females that reproduce without mating. Both young and adult forms remove fluids from plants. When they are in large numbers, they inject toxins that cause changes in the root system, yellowing of the leaves and stopping the plant's growth. The losses are greater in drought years. And crabgrass is an example of a very aggressive weed in fertile soils. It promotes interference through competition for growth resources, such as water, light, CO2 and nutrients, exerting chemical inhibition on their development, a phenomenon known as allelopathy.

The list is huge and shows the size of the challenge. And that is why food production and environmental defense must be a joint effort by the entire society: government, with the deliberation of appropriate public policies; of sectoral entities, offering training and knowledge; of companies, delivering increasingly efficient pesticides; the farmer, increasingly aware of the good practices of his activity; and the population in general, especially those in urban centers, to become better informed and learn more about Brazilian agriculture. Everyone wins.

Evidently, there is a long way to go. In our segment, we are investing a lot in terms of training and training farmers. There is a goal for this: by 2026, train around two million people who carry out pesticide application activities, through the Legal Applicator Program. This is an initiative carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, which, together, launched the National Program for Qualification of Pesticides and Related Applicators, or simply Legal Applicator.

The measure is provided for in Decree No. 10.833/2021, which determined the creation of applicator records, with mandatory training for these field professionals and to help combat misinformation about the use of these inputs in agricultural production.

To this end, Sindiveg created a training platform, available at Link. These are entirely free online courses, which can be accessed at any time and are aimed at all audiences due to their intuitive language. The training modules cover topics such as safety in the transportation and storage of pesticides, product application technology, first aid, among others.

According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by 2030 the world needs to double agricultural productivity (in just seven years!), halve food waste and reduce food losses along food chains. production and supply. Without a doubt, Brazil has a prominent place in this journey. But, for the planet to be able to reach the food supply it so desperately needs, in a safe and sustainable way, crop protection technologies will definitely play a decisive role.

By Julio Borges Garcia, president of the National Union of the Plant Defense Products Industry (Sindiveg)