sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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This expansion is putting pressure on the environment in various ways. The environmental
impacts of stock-raising activities include deforestation, soil degradation, loss of biodiversity and
greenhouse gas emissions. Single-crop farming, in which transgenic seeds are used in some cases, has
impacts on land use and biodiversity, while the growth of aquaculture has various implications, including
a heightened demand for water resources (ECLAC/FAO/IICA, <strong>20</strong>10). Pesticide use is one of the main
sources of chemical contamination in the region (see box I.5).
Box I.5
PESTICIDE RISK REDUCTION
Since the early 1990s, a number of countries have passed laws to halt the production, importation and use of
dangerous pesticides, destroy inventories of banned products and reduce the use of agrochemicals. The International
Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides developed by FAO, which has been signed by the vast
majority of countries in the region, provides a frame of reference for pesticide control measures. It establishes rules,
on a voluntary basis, for public and private organizations that are involved in the distribution and use of pesticides or
that work in related areas. This code of conduct was originally adopted in 1985, but a revised version was issued in
<strong>20</strong>02 that takes into account the prior informed consent provisions of the Rotterdam Convention, <strong>development</strong>s in
international laws and standards, and a number of problems relating to pesticide control that continue to be an issue.
The revised version also uses the concept of the “life-cycle” of pesticide management, that is, consideration of the
range of impacts caused from the production phase right up to final disposal of the product. The region has made
headway in terms of compliance with the Code, and the laws and regulations on pesticides are more sophisticated
than those governing other toxic chemicals. Nevertheless, as in other developing regions, a lack of resources and
technical capacity hinders enforcement of national laws on pesticides.
Some of the issues relating to pesticide control that are particularly important for the region are:
(i) The management of cross border impacts of pesticide-laden runoff into the ocean;
(ii) The need to deal with hazardous stockpiles of obsolete pesticides. These stockpiles are often improperly
stored, which exposes people to these toxins and allows them to seep into the soil and into watercourses;
(iii) The related issue of pesticide containers (whether obsolete or otherwise). Empty containers that contain
traces of these pesticides pose a risk to human health and the environment if not handled properly. In many
countries, these articles are disposed of or used in ways that pose environmental and health hazards, as they
are sometimes re-used, buried in the ground in rural areas, dumped in unsuitable landfills or incinerated
without the use of necessary technologies or precautions;
(iv) The presence of pesticides in groundwater, which then seep into drinking water and water used for
irrigation (and, consequently, agricultural produce), as well as into surface water and drainage areas, with
subsequent impacts on agriculture; and
(v) Traces of pesticides in foodstuffs, which pose a danger for the people who eat them. The Codex
Alimentarius sets caps on residues of specific types of pesticides in food, following the recommendations
of the FAO Panel of Experts and a designated group at the World Health Organization (WHO).
The international treaties relating to pesticides are discussed in chapter II.
Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Sustainable <strong>development</strong> in Latin America and
the Caribbean: trends, progress, and challenges in <strong>sustainable</strong> consumption and production, mining, transport,
chemicals and waste management (LC/R.2161), Santiago, Chile, <strong>20</strong>09.
The livestock sector accounts for 45% of agricultural GDP in Latin America and the Caribbean
and for 13% of global production. With an annual growth rate of 4%, it doubles the 2% global growth rate
for this industry. The region also produces 28% of the world’s beef (ECLAC/FAO/IICA, <strong>20</strong>10). Most of
the environmental problems associated with stock-raising activities have to do with the traditional
extensive grazing systems used in the region. The intensive production systems that are being brought
into use as a means of boosting productivity can relieve some of the pressure on the environment by
mitigating deforestation and the degradation of pasturelands in marginal areas. More intensive beef