Study Released at Marshall Institute Forum: Restricting Paraquat Use is Destructive to Poor Farmers and the Environment

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2003--An important new study was released today in the global debate respecting use and restrictions placed on a widely used herbicide. "Paraquat: A Unique Contributor to Agriculture and Sustainable Development" was authored by Prasanna Srinivasan, recognized expert on the economies of developing nations, and sponsored by more than 50 organizations from 13 different countries. Srinivasan released the study at the Marshall Institute's Washington Roundtable on Science and Public Policy.

Paraquat has gained considerable global attention in recent years because of attempts by opponents to restrict its use despite protests by impoverished farmers who depend on the herbicide. The study offers a balanced assessment of the benefits and risks of paraquat and raises several points to be considered when policy makers consider restricting the herbicide's use including:

-- Herbicides such as paraquat are important as they serve to increase crop yields by as much as 80% and substantially increase the world's capacity to feed its growing populations.

-- Product stewardship programs on safe handling of crop protection products, such as training and education for users, can have a direct and significant impact on user safety.

-- In the developing world, where automated equipment is not readily available, technologies such as paraquat have a dramatic impact on farmers' quality of life. Without paraquat, the farmer and his family would be destined to toil every waking hour tending fields while realizing lower yields and less income.

-- According to the FAO, women are responsible for half the world's food production, and produce 60 to 80 percent of the food in developing countries. By replacing manual weeding, paraquat has saved millions of women from a life of drudgery, freeing them to do more productive and satisfying activities.

-- By reducing the cost of food, technologies such as paraquat have helped to make food more affordable for the poor and malnourished. These technologies have increased the income of farmers to enable them to better support themselves and their families.

-- Through promoting higher yields, paraquat reduces the need to convert wild lands into agriculture, thereby helping to preserve the environment.

-- Paraquat poses little or no risk to human health when used under normal field conditions. In fact, the benefits derived from high-yield agriculture mean less malnutrition, longer life expectancy and healthier populations.

For copies of the study, please call 202-296-9655 or visit http://www.marshall.org/.

Contacts

The George C. Marshall Institute, Washington
Mark Herlong, 202-296-0655