 Many of the books reviewed here can now be purchased over the internet from amazon.co.uk. You can use the link following most of the reviews, or if you are unable to find the book you are after, you can use the search facility at the end of the page. |
In print
Silent
invaders: Pesticides, livelihoods and women's health
Edited by Miriam Jacobs and Barbara Dinham
Published by Zed Books
7 Cynthia St., London N1 9JF, UK
Website: zedbooks.co.uk
2002, 342pp, ISBN 1 85649 996 0 (Pb), £14.95
When a former Chairman of the WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues commends a book as being a 'well-documented, excellently reasoned case against the continued widespread use of chemical pesticides', and Clare Short, the UK's forthright Secretary of State for International Development agrees to write the foreword, it clearly needs to be taken seriously. And the case being made is one of the greatest importance: more chemical pesticides are now available in developing countries than ever before, many of them so toxic that they can only be used with safety equipment and procedures beyond the reach of farmers to whom they are sold. Environmental and health monitoring are frequently non-existent, yet research finds growing evidence that pesticide use is having chronic effects on the health of rural people and their land, food and water.
Many of the world's pesticide users are women, over 80% in some countries. The consequences of contamination on both these women and their newly born or unborn children are scarcely recorded, but clear links exist to breast and cervical cancers, reproductive and hormonal problems and neurological conditions, including Parkinson's disease. Yet in the absence of sufficient research, policies and strategies are made on the basis of assumptions that are often false or flimsy. While the editors of 'Silent invaders' would hardly claim that their book fills that knowledge gap, it is, at the very least, a good start.
The book is essentially a collection of research papers, from over forty contributors, grouped in four distinct areas of study. The first deals with women's experiences of pesticide use in the developing world; a survey from Tamil Nadu in 'pesticide-addicted' India, found chronic poisoning in three quarters of rural women interviewed. Only a small percentage were aware that pesticides could harm their health, and even those who knew the risks felt compelled to continue unsafe practices in order to avoid hunger. The second section consists of medical papers about the links between pesticide exposure and ill-health, from both developed and developing world contexts. Each paper is succinct and accessible, making ideal reference material for the non-expert. Studies include evidence of organophosphates causing miscarriages in China, and contamination of breast milk by DDT in Zimbabwe.
The third section focuses on policy and regulation, including workplace safety and pesticide regulation, and how gender differences need to be taken into account when drafting new guidelines or legislation. It strongly argues that pesticide policy should recognise the precautionary principle. The final part gathers five instances where action has already been taken to raise awareness about pesticides and women's health, two of them looking at gender-sensitive Integrated Pest Management. Clearly IPM has great potential to reduce pesticide-related illness, but if it is to be adopted by women, it must be adapted to meet their needs. For example, many labour-intensive and time-consuming IPM practices are currently resisted by women, who generally struggle with exhausting workloads.
Each of the four sections is preceded by an introduction from the editors. For the reader in a hurry, these alone offer a concise account of the main issues, the subsequent papers providing the detail for those who need it. Given the scale of the problem, 'Silent invaders' is undoubtedly a 'must-read' book for those involved in agricultural development and policy.
Ecoagriculture: Strategies to feed the world and save
wild biodiversity
By Jeffrey A. McNeely and Sara J Scherr
Published by Island Press
Website: www.islandpress.org
Email: eturner@islandpress.org
2002, 345pp, ISBN 1 55963 645 9 (Pb), $27.50
McNeely and Scherr's 'ecoagriculture' concept has three key criteria: agricultural yield, farmer income and wild biodiversity. It therefore places local food security and livelihood at the centre of conservation strategy, and emphasises that finding positive links between agriculture and biodiversity is the only way to achieve sustainable protection for wildlife habitats. Examples of such links include the many ways that establishing protected areas can actually enhance agricultural productivity, perhaps by protecting pollinators or water sources. Protected areas may also offer other benefits to farming communities, such as improved fishing or tourism. Thirty six case studies provide examples of where, by modifying farming practices and reducing agricultural pollution, farmers have been able to increase their returns from farming whilst enriching the biodiversity found on and around their land. The studies are followed by a thorough look at the policy, market and institutional changes that would be necessary to promote ecoagriculture at national and regional scales. While the writing style is somewhat predictable and unimaginative - unlike Jules Pretty's 'Agri-culture' - 'Ecoagriculture' strengthens the case that increasing food production need not be done at the expense of the environment.
World water
and food to 2025 /Global water outlook to 2025
Building
businesses with small producers: Successful business services in Africa,
Asia and Latin America
Reforming
agricultural markets in Africa
Peru: An Oxfam country
profile
Groundnut
Way out
of the woods: Learning how to manage trees and forests
Guidelines
for exporters of fruit and vegetables to the European markets
