The pesticide exposome and its impact on health and well-being of farmer families along sustainable food production systems
Project Abstract
Global food production systems will need to change significantly in the coming decades to meet the doubling of food demand by 2050, adapt to climate change and achieve several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These changes will be most profound in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), disproportionately affecting rural agricultural populations who are particularly vulnerable due to low income and limited education. This new 'green revolution' is likely to involve the intensive use of multiple pesticides in conventional agriculture, alongside a growing transition to more sustainable practices, such as organic farming. However, data on objectively measured pesticide exposure mixtures and their long-term health effects (i.e., the pesticide exposome) remain scarce. In addition, there is limited and fragmented understanding of the wider impacts of changing farming practices on the health and well-being of farming families.
This SNF Starting Grant has two objectives. First, to advance the characterisation of the pesticide exposome and associated neurological and respiratory health risks in farming families. Second, to study the impact of the transition to organic farming on the health and well-being of farming families over time.
Over the next five years, our research will lead to a new understanding of pesticide mixtures and associated health risks in LMICs. We will also specifically assess the health effects of conversion to organic farming in Switzerland, South Africa and Uganda, and compare the chemical, biological, physical and psychological hazards of conversion. Ultimately, the vision of the project is to promote the health and well-being of farming families, within and between generations, faced with the impending conversion of food production in different socio-environmental contexts.
To advance knowledge, our group is leading cohort studies on coffee farming in Mbale (FarmCo Uganda) and wine grape production in the Western Cape (FarmCo South Africa) in close collaboration with local universities and partners.
