Petition by Inés Riojas and Sol Bardessono

The harmful nature of chemical pesticides and fertilizers has been known for decades now, yet for some reason we never learn. Remember DDT? The infamous pesticide that dropped the cases of malaria in the US from 400,000 in 1946 to 0 only 4 years later? The wonder insecticide: cheap, efficient and long lasting...Or maybe the name Rachel Carson rings a bell? Yes, the marine biologist who inspired the first ever environmental movement and wrote the famous book Silent Spring as a way to turn us, the lay people’s attention to the dangers DDT and other synthetic chemicals could bring upon the steady state equilibrium of Earth’s ecosystems. And thank god she did. Not only was DDT later proved to be highly toxic to aquatic animals and to decrease the reproductive rate of birds by causing a thinning of their eggshells, but DDT was also later understood to bioaccumulate and biomagnify throughout the food chain. This biomagnification process consists of DDT persisting in fatty tissues of animals who are then consumed by their higher trophic level in the food chain, leaving the predator with a higher dose of DDT accumulated, leading to increased intoxication. The same chemical which was originally believed to be the perfect cure for malaria brought about severe long term disruptions to countless ecosystems around the world. The same chemical Fabián Tomasi (1966-2018), a farmer who worked with fumigation aircrafts, came into direct contact with and ended up with extremely severe nervous, metabolic and dermatological consequences that led to his death with only 52 years of age. What was done about it you ask? Well, people just like you and me started anti chemical and anti pesticides movements until everyone was talking about DDT, inspiring a group of scientists and lawyers to create the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and started to fight for a ban on DDT. Soon later, the EDF won the lawsuit and the ban of DDT spread worldwide in 2004 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

But you clicked on this petition for the issues Argentine local farmers and fauna are facing, not a lesson on the history of pesticides. And this is true, but we find reliving history is sometimes the easiest way to spread a message. So, what is happening in Argentina right now? While the ban on DDT and several other chemicals was a great progress for environmental conservation, not all chemical pesticides and fertilizers were put to a halt. This was due to pesticides and fertilizers having many advantages, the greatest one being increasing the carrying capacity of fixed areas of land, something our exponentially growing population desperately needs to feed everyone. Around the world, increased regulations and scientific investigations behind possible side effects has kept the agrochemical market afloat yet exceptions still exist. Argentina is currently a world leader in use of agrochemicals for intensive farming practices, so one would assume the country has its regulations straight. Yet the situation is currently the opposite. A review on the Agricultural policies in Argentina carried out by the OECD has recently established many of the agrochemicals that are being banned in other countries such as glyphosate, atrazine and 2,4 D as part of the most common chemicals in pesticides used in intensive farming practices in Argentina. How come? Well, just like the documentary “Circle of Poison” depicts, the global agrochemical pesticide industry is full of legal loopholes, where countries like the US can manufacture pesticides which have been banned in their country for ‘export purposes only’. Yes, you read correctly, as long as the agrochemicals aren’t applied on American soil, the production and commercialization of certain chemicals which can effectively be considered ‘poisons’ is totally legal. Because of this, countless argentine rural communities and sustainable farmers have reported cases of pesticide intoxication. Carolina Cedra, owner of a small farm in ‘Él Gran Chaco Argentino’ recently came out to various Argentine news outlets, explaining how after an entire year hospitalised for skin irritation, digestive and intestinal issues, the doctors informed her she was suffering from chemical intoxication from her household water supply being saturated in dangerous agrochemicals. In an article by the newspaper "Agroempresario" she explains how due to lack of a law regulating agrochemical use, many intensive commercial farmers don’t follow crop rotation mechanisms and due to a recent increase in agrochemical resistance among many pesticides, spray illegal quantities of pesticides on their fields. In addition, as Cedra’s example perfectly demonstrates, the irresponsible disposal of such agrochemicals is contaminating the limited water supply of the Argentine province Chaco. We need to take action, and establishing a national law enforcing a regulation of these toxic agrochemicals is a great place to start. It really is as horrid as it sounds, but not only are families like Carolina's being poisoned, but the surrounding ecosystems are starting to show signs of deterioration as well. Bee colonies are disappearing, with the NGO ‘Naturaleza de Derechos’ stating Argentine bee colonies to have decreased by 44% from 2010 to 2018. Remains of glyphosate have even been identified in bee’s honey. Water is another key abiotic resource that has been proved to become contaminated thanks to the pesticides mentioned above. Be it through runoff or through leaching into the soil and into groundwater supplies crustaceans, stream-dwelling insects and entire macro-invertebrate communities are being placed at risk by the misuse of these toxic agrochemicals. 

So what do we need you to do? We repeat, Argentine ecosystems and locals need corporate commercial farmers to regulate their usage, disposal and type of agrochemicals used. For this reason, We joined forces with the campaign “Paren de Fumigar”, a group of women living in a neighbourhood in Cordoba which has faced over 200 cases of cancer due to the unregulated use of agrochemicals. Via their radio program ‘Horizonte Sur’ (available to listen on Radio Nacional AM870 throughout Argentina), this group of amazing women express how their mission objective involves spreading awareness and encouraging locals from towns around the country to defend their health, the environment and the overall safety of their community. They utilise their radio show to reach out, interview and encourage communities to gather numerical data on water and soil quality and people suffering from illnesses to evidence the side effects agrochemicals like glyphosate are causing in their communities. Once they’ve collected this data they present it to the national authorities with hopes that they will understand and empathize with the urgent need for law regulations. Getting the attention of the authorities is where everyone signing this petition comes into the picture. By creating this petition, we hope to aid the ‘paren de fumigar’ campaign in their efforts to pressure the national authorities to visualize and take appropriate legal action towards the ecological and health-suicide that agrochemicals in pesticides are causing throughout Argentina, demanding regulations on the use of agrochemicals. 

Want to help even more? While petitions are effective in raising awareness, they don’t always get the job done. For this reason we have listed a few ways you can make your voice heard and give the local flora, fauna and people access to agrochemical-free air, water and crops. Here are more ways to make your voice heard: 

1. Know any argentine locals who have been suffering from symptoms similar to Caroline Cedra? Send an email and get into contact with the women at ‘Paren de fumigar’ 
     (email: parendefumigar@grr.org.ar)
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