EFFECT OF PESTICIDE BY OLADOKUN SULAIMAN

Effect of pesticide on our food

Pollution – combustion contribute to 80percent of pollution in the world-combustion could be classified into:


External combustion-from industry and power
Internal combustion – motorcar, tobacco (lethal most breathable), land processes.
Combustion from land processes is a serious issue today, because it has direct contact with our system, we all consume them through food. Recent years have seen the overuse of pesticide mostly DDT with characteristic chlorinated hydrocarbons. Its first discovery with capacity to wipe out mass of pest like which beleaguer human. Known pest are:


Fleas- carrying plague
Mosquito- carrying Malaria and yellow fever
Screw worm fly – dangerous to useful domestic animal
True these pest s is dangerous, but the problem is what invented are even more dangerous , but we go much more further to destroy our environment through euphoria runaway program like spraying from the air with poisons whose effects was still barely understood in the name of higher productivity .Indictment of ignorance and overuse has lead quest for more knowledge, research information performance and consequence and subsequent findings on fact that All elements of complexity in natural systems which first underpin the mergence of organic life are the one that at the same time sustains it and the fact hat there is limit to everything. nmmm this are the animals that are being used for medical simulation to determine remedial solution to our own health-


DDT has long been suspected to have the same capacity as metallic poison like mercury that ends up becoming more concentrated as the move up the food chain-fish eaten by bird can thus be passing on concentration which hidden degrees have already passed beyond the birds tolerance to DDT- the poison is further concentrated in their organisms either they cease to reproduce or eggs too thinly sheeted hatching. Age of knowledge has continue to show the bewildering degree of interdependent of natural system- toxic material cannot be put into air, water or soil without them mixing together- this interference extends to the creatures living in three elements.


Threshold -The linkage between all creature all leave us with question that by indiscriminately killing another one creature ends up destroying nature balance
Interdependency-The balance between pests and the other creatures which prey upon them. Eradication of one predator from the food chain leads to population of explosion of another pest along the chain line.
Complexity-Nature inexhaustible variety- of soil, climate. Species, of plants which are all nothing but the glory of natural environment.

One major problem is that, the chemicals are produced based on generalization and standardization or uniformity – but the nature standardization in the sense of uniform treatment for uniform condition is more of a blight- doses of weed killers or pesticides which are correctly balanced for one kind of air condition, climate, soil and plant ecology can be lethal in neighboring conditions or even in the same condition on a more or less windy day. This basically due to danger of oversimplified acceptance of science essential techniques of abstraction and generalization- generalization is possible in man made things like structural steel to presstresed to specification , but one of the main points about agriculture is that much of its fertility, range an resilient depends upon its lack of uniformity.


Developing nations are victims of most of non confirmative factor-because those who developed those chemicals developed them based on fact from developed nations lands and the lack accuracy and scientific information about lands in lands in developing nations. They lack facts relating to soil, plant physiology, water, climate, and their interaction, that makes use of those chemical dangerous in those lands. There is no enough accurate knowledge of local condition to devise the needed variety of control, monitoring system, workable alternatives against for pest and their associated risks.

Be it pesticide, herbicide are highly toxic and permanents, they mostly contain elements of heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, lead, it is also clear that the impact of new scientific means of controlling nuisance and increasing productivity varies according to their durability and toxic effects. some pesticide and herbicide are short live and highly toxic , some have low level of toxicity but last longer with delay that ends up into cumulative effect that are difficult to predict- some accumulate in food chain in increasing concentrated forms. In some cases such persistent allows insects enough time to develop unity to them some acquire positive affinity for more widely used hydrocarbon.


The most alarming part is getting these persistent elements locked in food chain- for example seeds coated with mercury to prevent fungus attacks may enter the food chaining variety of ways. But as ecological understanding is spreading to all and sundry, hopefully things will change- it can accidentally be fed to hog with gruesome effect to human being who eats their meet .thus many countries have now ban use of mercury and DDT coating. Some countries impose voluntary control systems; corporation and individual complying with the control find care and cost undermined by less scrupulous competitors.Well we all know there are pest, they do eat crops, and render some farms to end up not feeding human but predators. And there pesticide with the danger of their toxic effects, and the problem cannot be solved by just banning pesticide, but there are always better alternatives. Some of the alternatives to chemicals that can help all of us to eat healthy of food are:



Using conventional naturally produced hydrocarbon free pesticide, thus they have short live disadvantage that necessitate repeat of spraying.
Use of biological form of control- thus their use need to be subject to special care. Introduction of specific predator to attack another plant or animals- their use need to be subject to specification information between predator and prey, to avoid unexpected problems- this could achieve by learning the growing and maturity patterns of both plants and insects.

The most effective type of biological control based on a close and understanding cooperation with natures own force towards strain resistance to local pests and disease- here the air and winds , the cycle of vegetation, the rainfall, the soil types, the natural predators and their place in the local food chains- all have to be fully understood. Aerial spraying over vast acreage which still dominate so called scientific and modernized farming with lasting lethal poison lies at exactly the opposite pole from those careful watchful respectful approach to natures own complexity and from attempt to devise remedial measures- well this apply to military warfare too that has started adopting the doctrine of air spraying – if we have learnt from this, then we will never learn.



Agriculture and all areas of human Endeavour call for better approach for reality and interactions of air, water, soil and climate all for and plants .the answer is far from broad generalization, they are more likely to be minute particulars of what can be done at particular place, time and condition with particular things. Traditional farming was unscientific, but indeed they were based on upon one of the sciences most powerful tools – experimentation which in this case is simply called experience. - But there is limit to productivity. While the achievement of use of technology to boost productivity cannot be doubt, it depends on strong intervention by man and this make it important for farmers to know the effects of new technology.

Above all, the public must be aware ,also strong devotion for quest for more knowledge is not a matter of luxury now but of need , introducing deadline for phase out is one key to stimulate research for better alternatives. Also the economic implications of cleaning air in the wake of farm pollutants are not much different from those incurred in cleaning up industrial air pollution. There must be more reliance on variety of solutions and careful calculations of the balance between the continuousness of the pollution the degree of strain the environment can carry without damage. There is no doubt that with sound husbandry, lasting productivity of soil, we will gain from reliable food supplies not threatened by sudden catastrophic, chemically induced disasters, hence better health food and better health- like other issues environmental improvement issue, this will happened with fair redistribution and fair social justice- no wonder organic food are expensive.

My question - why are organic food expensive?

do you think many farm will soon chang eto organic farm? what is the posibility ? and is it going get cheaper?

dokunsulaiman@yahoo.com