Conservation news on Agrochemicals

17 Aug.,2022

 

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Farmer-to-farmer agroecology: Q&A with Chukki Nanjundaswamy of Amrita Bhoomi Learning Centre

by Anna Lappé 3 August 2022

Nestled in a verdant valley in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, about a four-hour drive southwest of Bengaluru, the agroecology learning center Amrita Bhoomi is one of dozens of…

High tech early warning system could curb next South African locust swarms

by Anna Majavu 29 June 2022

If locusts return by the millions this September, as forecasted, South African farmers hope to follow their movements via a state-of-the-art tracking system, allowing for targeted elimination with pesticides.

Tropical mammals under rising chemical pollution pressure, study warns

by Sean Mowbray 2 May 2022

Primates and other tropical wildlife are increasingly being exposed to pesticides pharmaceuticals, plastics, nanoparticles and other synthetic materials, but adverse impacts on these animals have been little studied.

Brazil agrochemical bill nears passage in Bolsonaro’s ‘agenda of death’

by Sarah Brown 18 February 2022

Brazil’s lower house of congress has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would loosen regulations for the use of pesticides, raising concerns that approval in the Senate would unleash further environmental…

More trees means healthier bees, new study on air pollution shows

by Luís Patriani 3 January 2022

Scientists analyzed levels of chemical pollutants in native jataí bees across eight landscapes in Brazil’s São Paulo state. They found that in landscapes with more vegetation, the bees had fewer pollutants, at lower levels, indicating that the plants act as a filter and protective barrier

The complete guide to restoring your soil: Q&A with soil expert Dale Strickler

by Liz Kimbrough 29 November 2021

Son of a sharecropper and lifetime farmer, Dale Strickler has lived his life by the soil. Strickler grew up in an impoverished area near the Ozarks in the U.S. Midwest,…

For Kenyan farmers, organic fertilizer bokashi brings the land back to life

by Isaiah Esipisu 16 November 2021

KARUNGARU, Kenya — Karungaru village in eastern Kenya’s Tharaka Nithi county is dry — so dry that even the resilient acacia trees have shed their leaves to cope. But amid…

Nature takes a beating after chemical explosion in South Africa civil unrest

by Tony Carnie 23 August 2021

In the early hours of July 13, a group of unknown people set fire to a massive warehouse full of agrochemicals in the Cornubia area of Durban on South Africa's…

Swarm technology: Researchers experiment with drones to battle crop pests

by Ashley Stumvoll 13 August 2021

In some places in North America, the sound of buzzing above fields and forests may no longer foretell trouble, but rather, an innovative solution to a centuries-old problem. Drones are…

Behind the scenes video unveils water contamination by ‘sustainable’ Amazon palm oil

by Mongabay.com 12 May 2021

During 18 months, Mongabay investigated allegations challenging the “sustainable” status of the Brazilian palm oil supply chain, unveiling the opposite, with impacts including deforestation and water contamination, discovering what appears to be an industry-wide pattern of brazen disregard for Amazon conservation and for the rights of Indigenous people and traditional communities in northern Pará state.

Pension and endowment funds linked to conflict-plagued oil palm in DRC

by John Cannon 22 March 2021

Well-known investment funds in the U.S., Europe and South Africa are financing a set of oil palm plantations that have been at the center of more than a century of…

Video: Communities struggle against palm oil plantations spreading in Brazilian Amazon

by Mongabay.com 18 March 2021

For the past 18 months, Mongabay has investigated allegations of widespread abuses by palm oil companies in Brazil, discovering what appears to be an industry-wide pattern of brazen disregard for…

Podcast: Can agroecology feed the world?

by Mike Gaworecki 10 March 2021

Today we’re taking a look at agroecology, an approach to sustainable farming that emphasizes working with and even enhancing local ecosystems. Agroecology is changing the way food is produced, especially…

One year on: Insects still in peril as world struggles with global pandemic

by Jeremy Hance 11 November 2020

This article is a one year follow up to the award-winning series, The Great Insect Dying published in June, 2019 on Mongabay. The original series documents insect losses in Europe, the U.S. and the tropics — here’s what we know today.

Agrochemicals and industrial waste threaten Argentina’s Gran Chaco

by Rodolfo Chisleanschi 19 August 2020

Carolina Cendra owns a small field about 20 kilometers, or 12 miles, from the town of Napenay, in Argentina’s Chaco province. On her 10 hectares (25 acres), she grows squash,…

Brazil’s native bees are vital for agriculture, but are being killed by it

by Sibélia Zanon 1 June 2020

Native Brazilian bees provide several environmental services – pollination of flora and agricultural crops being the most important one. But new studies show that pesticides may affect them more intensely.

Disaster interrupted: How you can help save the insects

by Liz Kimbrough 15 May 2020

Life can’t function without insects. At least, not for long. Dutifully, they pollinate, break down waste, cycle nutrients, move seeds, and touch every node in the web of life, filling…

Brazil sets record for highly hazardous pesticide consumption: Report

by Jenny Gonzales 12 March 2020

Continued deregulation and fast tracking of new products under President Bolsonaro have helped secure Brazil’s place as the world’s largest user of very toxic pesticides.

Amazon’s Mura indigenous group demands input over giant mining project

by Thais Borges; Sue Branford; and Mauricio Torres 27 December 2019

A legal battle brewing since 2013 is coming to a head as the Mura people resist a Potássio do Brasil transnational mining project that could change their way of life for good or ill, forever.

Mega-mining project slated for Brazilian Amazon sparks controversy

by Thais Borges; Sue Branford; and Mauricio Torres 26 December 2019

The town of Autazes has potash deposits vital to agribusiness; the Potássio do Brasil mine wants to open, but remains blocked — it lies on the land of the Mura indigenous group.

As pesticide approvals soar, Brazil’s tapirs, bees, other wildlife suffer

by Jenny Gonzales 18 December 2019

Forty percent of samples collected from 116 tapirs in a Cerrado study were poisoned with 13 toxic residues including 9 insecticides and herbicides, plus 4 heavy metals: report.

‘Science prevails’ as suspension of award for herbicide research is reversed

by Dilrukshi Handunnetti 16 November 2019

COLOMBO — Science prevailing over politics: That’s how a researcher who was snubbed for a high-profile award earlier this year has characterized the decision to finally recognize his achievements in…