Hello. Before everything, I would like to apologize to all the readers, users, and fellow ambassadors on this platform as I have not been able to perform my duties as ambassador over the past 2 months. I have been super busy with school and my other activities and requirements that I have neglected my responsibilities. However, tonight, I will post all the articles that are overdue from me. This one will be the first of four or five that I will be posting, and it will be about Pesticides.
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Pesticides, as we all know, are chemicals used in farming to prevent pests and insects from compromising the growth, development, and maturation of crops and plants. It is undoubtedly one of the most beneficial and useful things that man has invented in the area of agriculture and farming. However, with all the benefits it brings to all of society, certain disadvantages or harmful effects also come with it. Let us first discuss the advantages of using pesticides.

Pesticides, as a whole, make farming cheaper on the farmers, and thus, cheaper for the average consumer. These anti-insect chemicals are mass produced and are readily available in any farming store or department in most places around the globe. Because of this, they are relatively cheap for farmers to purchase and to use for their crops. When used in the farms and fields, these pesticides prevent unwanted weeds from growing among the crops, and stop insects and other pests from consuming the plants, thus preserving the quality, as well as the quantity, of the produced crops. Because less crops are destroyed and wasted in the fields and farms, more are available to be sold by the farmers at markets to consumers, resulting in lower prices. Overall, pesticides have a lot of benefits to anyone involved and makes use of food in some way in their lives, thus, everyone. From farmers to workers to families, the positive effects of pesticides can be felt throughout society.

However, as mentioned before, pesticides also bring several concerning risks to people, specifically with regards to health and environmental issues. First of all, since pesticides are normally applied directly to the plants and crops, usually by spraying, the food such as fruits and vegetables that are consumed by people may still have some of these chemicals on their skins, and can prove to be a health risk to those who eat them. Second, the very nature of pesticides makes them a danger to the whole ecosystem where they are used, not just humans. Pesticides were designed to kill, to be a poison to harmful insects, pests, or weeds. However, other organisms that live around the area where these pesticides are used may suffer from these effects as well, although they are not intended as targets. Animals who consume the crops and plants where pesticide is used may die as a result of the presence of the chemicals in their bodies, which may disrupt whole ecosystems or food chains/webs. Finally, over the long term, pesticides, just like antibiotics, develop resistance among their intended targets as time passes. With increased and consistent use of pesticides, a small number of organisms will survive and eventually multiply, rendering the use of the same pesticides to be ineffective over time.

As we can see, pesticides are a double-edged sword. It has its outstanding benefits, it has its harmful effects. As humans, we must learn to discipline ourselves and make use of things such as this with caution and with responsibility, considering all its effects not just to us humans, but to the whole ecosystem as well.


Sources: https://franticfoodie.com/10-biggest-pros-and-cons-of-pesticides/