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The global community stands at a critical juncture, facing an undeniable imperative for aligned and bold action to transform food systems. While the United States navigates its domestic challenges, advocates within its food system can draw invaluable lessons and models from around the world, particularly in the concerted effort to reduce the pervasive risk posed by agrochemicals. At the heart of this global push is a commitment forged at the 2022 U.N. Global Biodiversity Framework, which targets a reduction of the world’s pesticide risk by half by 2030. Although the United States is not a formal party to this landmark agreement, its principles resonate deeply with growing calls for a paradigm shift in agricultural practices worldwide.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: A Landmark Commitment
The 2022 U.N. Global Biodiversity Framework, formally known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), emerged from the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Adopted in December 2022, it represents a historic agreement among 196 countries to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030, and to achieve living in harmony with nature by 2050. This ambitious framework, often hailed as a "Paris Agreement for Nature," sets out four overarching goals and 23 specific targets designed to protect and restore biodiversity globally.
Among these crucial targets, Target 7 explicitly addresses the challenge of pollution, stating a commitment to "reduce the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least half by 2030, including through integrated pest management, based on science, taking into account food security and livelihoods." This target is not merely about reducing the volume of pesticides used, but critically, the risk they pose, encompassing both environmental and human health impacts. It implicitly calls for a move away from the most hazardous substances and towards more sustainable pest management strategies.
The absence of the United States as a formal party to the GBF is primarily due to its unique constitutional process, which requires Senate ratification for international treaties. Despite this, the U.S. government often aligns its domestic policies and international cooperation efforts with the spirit and objectives of such global agreements. Environmental organizations, scientific bodies, and a growing segment of the agricultural sector within the U.S. consistently advocate for policies that mirror the GBF’s ambitions, recognizing the interconnectedness of global environmental health.
A Troubling Trajectory: Past Trends and Future Challenges
The urgency underpinning the GBF’s pesticide reduction target is underscored by recent scientific findings. A comprehensive 2026 study, analyzing progress toward reducing the total toxicity of pesticides used globally between 2013 and 2019, revealed a concerning trend. While some regions demonstrated commendable efforts and saw decreases in overall toxicity – notably Europe, which has progressively tightened its pesticide regulations, and China, which introduced a stringent zero-growth pesticide policy in 2015 – the global picture was less encouraging. The study found that overall pesticide toxicity actually increased considerably during this six-year period, particularly across critical agricultural regions in Africa, India, the United States, Brazil, and Russia.
This finding is particularly alarming because it quantifies the aggregate harm posed by pesticides, rather than simply measuring their volume. Toxicity, in this context, refers to the potential harm to human health and ecosystems, which can vary widely between different chemical compounds. The study highlighted that only one country, Chile, was demonstrably on track by 2019 to meet what would later become the U.N. target. This suggests that despite nascent efforts in some areas, the predominant trajectory of global agricultural practices before the 2022 commitment was moving in the wrong direction.
The authors of the study were unequivocal in stressing that the global target, despite the challenging baseline, remains achievable. Their analysis pointed to key strategies: expanded bans on the most hazardous pesticides, stricter regulatory frameworks, and robust support for alternative agricultural practices. These alternatives include widely recognized methods such as organic farming, which prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides, and agroecological approaches, which integrate ecological principles into farm management to entirely eliminate or greatly reduce reliance on external chemical inputs. The implication is clear: a fundamental shift in agricultural policy and practice is required, moving beyond incremental adjustments to embrace transformative change.
The Paraquat Case Study: A Microcosm of a Macro Problem
The highly hazardous herbicide paraquat serves as a potent case study illustrating both the severe risks associated with certain agrochemicals and the global disparity in regulatory approaches. Paraquat, a non-selective contact herbicide, is widely used for weed and grass control, particularly in no-till farming systems. Its efficacy is high, but so is its toxicity.
Health Impacts: The dangers of paraquat are well-documented. Acute exposure, often through accidental ingestion or skin contact, is frequently fatal, with no known antidote. Symptoms can range from severe gastrointestinal damage to kidney failure, liver damage, and respiratory distress, often leading to death within days or weeks. Beyond acute poisoning, growing scientific evidence points to a strong link between chronic occupational exposure to paraquat and an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. Farming communities globally are increasingly speaking out, sharing testimonies of devastating health impacts, including neurodegenerative diseases, among those who have worked with or lived near fields sprayed with paraquat. This mounting body of evidence has fueled numerous lawsuits and advocacy campaigns.
Environmental Impacts: Paraquat’s environmental footprint is also significant. While it binds tightly to soil particles, reducing its leaching potential, its immediate toxicity to plants and animals is a major concern. It can harm non-target vegetation, aquatic organisms if it enters water bodies, and beneficial insects. The broader ecological disruption caused by such potent herbicides contributes to biodiversity loss, particularly affecting insect populations vital for pollination and ecosystem health.
Global Disparity in Regulation: The regulatory landscape for paraquat is starkly divided. Over 60 countries, including all member states of the European Union, the United Kingdom, China, Brazil, and Switzerland, have banned paraquat due to its severe health risks. These bans reflect a global consensus among many governments and public health organizations that the risks outweigh any perceived agricultural benefits. In contrast, paraquat remains legal for use in the United States, albeit with certain restrictions on who can apply it and mandatory training requirements. This disparity highlights the influence of various factors, including industry lobbying, economic considerations, and differing interpretations of scientific evidence and risk assessment. The ongoing advocacy for a U.S. ban on paraquat, driven by researchers, public health advocates, and affected farmers, mirrors a global movement towards precautionary principles in chemical regulation.
International Policy Frameworks: Commitments and Gaps
Beyond the GBF, other multilateral agreements play a crucial role in managing the global trade and use of hazardous chemicals. The Rotterdam Convention, officially the Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, is one such vital instrument.
Purpose and Mechanism: The Rotterdam Convention aims to protect human health and the environment by providing importing countries with the information and tools needed to identify potential hazards and exclude chemicals they cannot manage safely. It establishes a "Prior Informed Consent" (PIC) procedure, ensuring that countries can make informed decisions about whether to allow the import of certain banned or severely restricted chemicals. When a chemical is listed under the Convention, exporting countries are obligated to obtain explicit consent from importing countries before shipping it. This mechanism empowers nations, particularly those with less developed regulatory capacities, to control the influx of dangerous substances.
Limitations and Challenges: Despite its critical importance, the Rotterdam Convention has faced significant challenges. Its effectiveness is hampered by a consensus-based decision-making process for adding new chemicals to the PIC list. This means that a single dissenting party can block the listing of a chemical, even if a large majority of countries support it. This procedural bottleneck has, to date, prevented the inclusion of several severely hazardous pesticides, including paraquat, despite repeated attempts and compelling evidence of their dangers. This deadlock highlights the powerful influence of some agrochemical-producing or agrochemical-reliant nations.
Future Prospects: The continued advocacy for the inclusion of paraquat and other highly hazardous pesticides on the Rotterdam Convention’s list is vital. The next meeting of governments to negotiate these listings, scheduled for 2027, represents a critical opportunity for member states to overcome these political impasses and strengthen the Convention’s protective reach. Success would not only restrict the international trade of these chemicals but also send a strong signal about their unacceptable risks, potentially catalyzing further domestic bans and stricter regulations.
The Promise of Agroecology: Cultivating Sustainable Alternatives
The path to achieving the GBF’s pesticide reduction targets and mitigating the broader impacts of agrochemicals lies in scaling up and supporting alternative agricultural practices. Agroecology and organic farming are two leading paradigms that offer a holistic approach to food production, prioritizing ecological health, social equity, and economic viability.
Defining Alternatives:
- Organic Farming: Certified organic agriculture strictly prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, GMOs, and growth hormones. It emphasizes soil health through practices like composting, crop rotation, and cover cropping, and relies on biological pest control.
- Agroecology: A broader scientific discipline, movement, and set of practices, agroecology applies ecological principles to agricultural systems. It integrates traditional and scientific knowledge to design sustainable farms that mimic natural ecosystems. Key tenets include enhancing biodiversity, optimizing nutrient cycling, building soil organic matter, promoting local food systems, and fostering farmer autonomy. It goes beyond input substitution to fundamentally rethink agricultural design and governance.
Multifaceted Benefits: The transition to these practices offers extensive benefits:
- Environmental Resilience: Reduced reliance on synthetic chemicals leads to healthier soils, improved water quality (less runoff pollution), enhanced biodiversity (supporting pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife), and greater climate resilience (increased carbon sequestration in soils, reduced greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer production).
- Human Health: Eliminating or significantly reducing pesticide use directly reduces exposure risks for farmers, farmworkers, and rural communities, who are disproportionately affected by pesticide-related illnesses. It also contributes to safer food for consumers, free from chemical residues.
- Economic Viability: While initial transitions may require investment and learning, agroecological and organic systems can lead to reduced input costs over time (less spent on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides). They can also open up access to premium markets, diversify income streams through varied crops, and build resilience against market fluctuations.
- Social Equity: Agroecology often promotes food sovereignty, strengthens local economies, and empowers smallholder farmers by valuing their traditional knowledge and fostering community-led food systems.
To support action toward this global commitment, the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, a collaborative initiative of philanthropic foundations working to transform food systems, will soon launch a comprehensive compendium on agrochemicals. With contributions from several dozen international experts, this compendium aims to highlight the wide-ranging impacts of agrochemicals—encompassing both pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers—from health and biodiversity to climate change and human rights. Crucially, it will also showcase practical, effective strategies for transitioning away from these chemicals. The compendium will demonstrate how the public sector, philanthropic organizations, and private investors can incentivize and accelerate these transitions, illustrating the proven effectiveness of practices that decouple food production from toxic chemical reliance.
Overcoming Obstacles: Industry Influence and Policy Inertia
Despite the clear scientific evidence, the compelling case for alternatives, and the urgent global commitments, the pace of action to reduce agrochemical use remains slow. This inertia is largely attributable to the formidable power of a consolidated agrochemical industry, which wields significant influence over policy-making and public narratives.
Industry Influence: The global agrochemical industry is dominated by a handful of multinational corporations. These giants invest heavily in lobbying efforts, funding political campaigns, and shaping regulatory agendas. Their influence extends to sponsoring research that may downplay risks or highlight the necessity of their products for "food security," and running extensive public relations campaigns to counter negative perceptions. This formidable lobbying power often results in diluted regulations, delayed bans, and a continued reliance on chemical-intensive agricultural models. The "revolving door" phenomenon, where individuals move between regulatory bodies and industry positions, further exacerbates concerns about undue influence.
Economic Dependencies: Farmers, particularly those operating within conventional agricultural systems, often face significant economic pressures and established dependencies on agrochemical inputs. Decades of agricultural policies and market structures have incentivized the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, creating an ecosystem where transitioning to alternatives can seem financially risky or logistically challenging. Initial investment in new knowledge, infrastructure, and different seed varieties can be a barrier, even if long-term benefits are clear. Furthermore, the perceived risk of yield loss during a transition period can deter farmers from adopting new practices without adequate support and incentives.
Regulatory Gaps and Enforcement: Even where regulations exist, their effectiveness can be undermined by inconsistent enforcement, particularly in developing countries with limited resources. Loopholes in international trade agreements and varying national standards allow hazardous chemicals banned in some regions to continue to be manufactured and exported to others. This creates a global double standard and perpetuates the cycle of harm.
Looking Ahead: A Transformative Path for Food Systems
The aspiration of a future where the use of paraquat, or any of the world’s most highly hazardous pesticides, on crops destined for our plates seems as absurd as lighting a cigarette on a plane, is a powerful motivator. It encapsulates a vision of profound societal change, akin to past public health paradigm shifts that transformed social norms around smoking, lead in gasoline, or asbestos. Achieving this vision requires sustained, multi-pronged efforts from all stakeholders.
A Multi-faceted Approach:
- Strengthening Regulatory Frameworks: Implementing and enforcing stricter bans on highly hazardous pesticides, harmonizing international standards, and strengthening chemical review processes.
- Investing in Research and Development: Funding innovation in agroecological practices, biological pest control, and resilient crop varieties that thrive without excessive chemical inputs.
- Farmer Support and Incentives: Providing financial incentives, technical assistance, extension services, and educational programs to help farmers transition to sustainable practices, mitigating initial risks and ensuring economic viability.
- Market Transformation: Encouraging consumer demand for sustainably produced food, supporting local and regional food systems, and developing fair trade mechanisms that reward environmentally responsible farming.
- International Cooperation: Strengthening multilateral agreements like the Rotterdam Convention, promoting knowledge exchange, and providing assistance to countries in developing robust regulatory capacities.
- Public Awareness and Advocacy: Continuing to highlight the impacts of agrochemicals through independent research, investigative journalism, and grassroots activism, building public and political will for change.
In the U.S., despite the staggering toll of agrochemical use on public health and the environment, and the slow pace of action reflecting the consolidated power of the agrochemical industry, the push must continue. Thanks to the persistence of dedicated researchers, courageous journalists, and resilient farming communities, the evidence of harm is undeniable, and the solutions are increasingly clear. The global commitment articulated in the Kunming-Montreal Framework, coupled with the ongoing efforts of organizations like the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and the critical mechanisms of the Rotterdam Convention, provide a roadmap. While the journey is challenging, the collective will to safeguard health, protect biodiversity, and build truly sustainable food systems holds the promise of a future where toxic chemicals no longer define our plates or our planet.
