Farmers used 3.70 million tons of active substances in 2022, 4 percent more than in 2021 and twice as much as in 1990, according to the latest data available from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Used to protect crops from organisms considered harmful – plants, animals, fungi – pesticides also have an impact on the environment and health. Their consumption rose again in 2022, driven by Brazil, while Europe and Asia have begun to limit their use. Farmers used 3.70 million tonnes of active substances in 2022, 4 percent more than in 2021 and twice as much as in 1990, according to the latest data available from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Herbicides, which fight weeds, account for almost half; fungicides and bactericides, used against fungi and bacteria, 22 percent; and insecticides, intended to kill insects harmful to crops, 22 percent.
Brazil remains by far the leading user (801 thousand tons, an increase of 11 percent in one year), ahead of the United States (468 thousand tons, an increase of 2 percent). In these two countries, farmers often limit plowing to fields with mass crops (wheat, corn, soybeans), which requires more herbicides. Indonesia is in third place (295 thousand tons), followed by Argentina (263 thousand tons) and China (225 thousand tons). Then come Vietnam, Canada, Russia, Colombia and France, in 10th place on the list and the largest European consumer (68 thousand tons). In terms of quantity per hectare among the largest global users, Vietnam and Brazil constitute the top two with more than 10 kilograms per hectare.
Ranked third among consuming Regions, Europe (13 percent of global consumption) reduced pesticide use by 7 percent between 2021 and 2022, to 480 thousand tons. Compared to 1990, consumption has fallen by 5 percent, reflecting a stabilization.
European farmers apply an average of 1.66 kilograms of pesticides per hectare, less than the global average. It should be noted that this is the continent that has most limited the use of insecticides, which now represent only 13 percent of products consumed, under the effect of European legislation. Each country in the European Union is required to develop a strategic plan for the reduction of pesticides. Denmark has thus created a system of higher taxes for the most dangerous products. The study reports strong inequalities in Europe, with Eastern Europe consuming much less than the West.
