69% of Nigerian Farmers Poisoned by Pesticides — Study

A new study published in Frontiers in Public Health has revealed that about 69 per cent of farmers and farm workers in Nigeria are exposed to and affected by Unintentional Acute Pesticide Poisoning every year, ranking Nigeria second in West Africa behind Burkina Faso.

Stakeholders say the figure is “largely below the reality” and are calling for urgent government intervention.

A Silent Epidemic

A new study has shown that about 69 per cent of farmers and farm workers in Nigeria are exposed to and affected by Unintentional Acute Pesticide Poisoning (UAPP) every year.

According to the study, acute pesticide poisoning refers to illnesses or health effects experienced shortly after exposure to pesticides.

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The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, which was commissioned by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), found that Burkina Faso had the highest national incidence in the region at 83.8 per cent, followed by Nigeria at 69.0 per cent.

PAN is a UK-based network of over 600 participating non-governmental organizations, institutions and individuals in over 90 countries including Nigeria.

The Regional Picture

According to the report, The Gambia recorded 51.5 per cent, Ghana 39.0 per cent, Senegal 30.5 per cent, while Côte d’Ivoire recorded 20.0 per cent. Overall, the study estimated that an average of 48.9 per cent of farmers and farm workers in the six West African countries experienced unintentional acute pesticide poisoning annually.

A Global Perspective

Globally, it is estimated that between 402 million and 433 million farmers and farm workers suffer cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning globally every year.

Based on an estimated global farming population of 934 million, the figure means that about 46 percent of farmers worldwide are affected annually.

The study also estimated that pesticide poisoning causes about 11,000 deaths every year, with India accounting for nearly 60 percent of the fatalities.

“This Figure Is Largely Below the Reality”

Nigerian agro-sector stakeholders indicated they are fully aware of the situation and called for urgent government intervention.

Commenting on the statistics, the Lead Coordinator of the Alliance for Action on Pesticides in Nigeria (AAPN), Donald Ikenna Ofoegbu, said:

“This finding is not contested. In fact, from what we see, this figure is largely below the reality in Nigeria.” He added:

“We surveyed farmers to understand the types and brands of pesticides they use. We went further to identify and assess the active ingredients in these pesticides.”

“We have also examined the list of registered pesticide brands and agrochemicals on the NAFDAC website. We reviewed NAFDAC’s records of these chemicals and conducted our own assessment,” he said.

The Women Farmers’ Crisis

“Our findings speak even louder than the reported figure of 69%. In a survey we conducted specifically among smallholder women farmers we found that 94.2% of these women use synthetic chemicals,” Ofoegbu revealed.

“The farmers are already exposed and becoming sick. How many market women are buying produce from them? How many consumers, including all of us, are eating food produced by these farmers? Close to 80% of the food we eat in this country is produced by these farmers,” he warned.

A Call for Action

The authors called for immediate action to reduce pesticide-related harm, including implementation of a United Nations recommendation to phase out highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) immediately.

Head of International Programmes, Pesticide Action Network UK, Dr Sheila Willis, said farmers needed greater support to access safer alternatives.

“Now that the scale of suffering has been revealed, farmers must be supported to access safer alternatives to protect their health and that of their families,” she stated.

A Lesson for Nigeria

This study reveals a silent crisis: Nigerian farmers are being poisoned by the very chemicals they use to grow food.

For Nigeria, the lesson is clear: food security is meaningless without food safety.

Regulate pesticides. Protect farmers. And never forget that the food on your table starts with the health of the farmer who grew it.