Agribusiness and the demand for pesticides in Paraná

panorama of utilization in the state and in the Southwestern Mesoregion

Abstract

The general objective of this article is to present an overview of the use of pesticides in Paraná, and the southwestern mesoregion of the state, discussing the problems and consequences of the exacerbated use of these products for the environment and human health. For that, the methodological procedures are anchored in the analysis of secondary official data about the commercialization of active ingredients, the resident population, the agrarian structure, and the productive specialization. The results show that although Paraná has a predominance of family farming, productive specialization is a striking feature. The production of agricultural commodities, mainly soybeans, corn, and wheat, is extremely dependent on the use of active ingredients such as the herbicides Glyphosate and 2,4-D, associated with the development of various damages to human and environmental health. In the Southwestern mesoregion, this reality is no different, which suggests that the population is subject to a high environmental and occupational exposure, so that environmental injustices are rooted while pesticides are promote by the agrochemical oligarchic complex and the government Brazilian.

Keywords: Pesticides. Agribusiness. Paraná.