Environmental risks from pesticide use: the case of commercial banana farming in northern Lao PDR

Abstract

The publications in this series cover a wide range of subjects-from computer modeling to experience with water user associations-and vary in content from directly applicable research to more basic studies, on which applied work ultimately depends. Some research reports are narrowly focused, analytical and detailed empirical studies; others are wide-ranging and synthetic overviews of generic problems.Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff, and by external reviewers. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMIThe International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society and the private sector to solve water problems in developing countries and scale up solutions. Through partnership, IWMI combines research on the sustainable use of water and land resources, knowledge services and products with capacity strengthening, dialogue and policy analysis to support implementation of water management solutions for agriculture, ecosystems, climate change and inclusive economic growth. Headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, IWMI is a CGIAR Research Center and leads the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). www.iwmi.org

Prospects and limitations of ‘Responsible Agricultural Investment’ for governing transboundary agri‐food systems in Mekong Southeast Asia: Implications for upland maize in the Lao‐Vietnamese borderlands

“…The widening use of herbicides and pesticides in the Mekong countries since the 2000s has been in tandem with the expansion of commodity crops. In Laos, this is particularly acute in relation to maize and banana, which are commonly introduced by cross‐border investors and traders who also supply chemical inputs to farmers (Cole, 2021; Shattuck, 2021; Wentworth et al, 2021). Reliable data are scarce, but legal imports of agrochemicals from Thailand, China and Vietnam to Laos significantly increased since the mid‐2000s, and are likely to be a fraction of total imports (LURAS, 2018), particularly with the ease of traders bringing chemicals across remote porous borders as the empirical section of this article details further.…”

“…Reliable data are scarce, but legal imports of agrochemicals from Thailand, China and Vietnam to Laos significantly increased since the mid‐2000s, and are likely to be a fraction of total imports (LURAS, 2018), particularly with the ease of traders bringing chemicals across remote porous borders as the empirical section of this article details further. Among the few available studies on the range of chemicals in use, paraquat and glyphosate are frequently identified, with residues tending to be far above safety thresholds (Shattuck, 2020; Wentworth et al, 2021). Amid rising public concern about environmental and human exposure to agrochemicals in Laos, a recent policy paper noted that ‘application rates for herbicide are consistently 2‐4 times higher than recommended’ (LURAS, 2018, p. 5).…”

Organic farming drives higher diversity of beetles, with more predators and less pests

“…In recent years, agricultural land area has increased rapidly across Laos, driven by foreign investments illustrated by a doubling in the number of foreign companies or factories from 2009 to 2015 (Wentworth et al 2021). The conversion of organic agriculture to conventional practices has been particularly evident in large-scale banana plantations (NAFRI, 2016); revealing a steady transition from subsistence agriculture to commercial production through the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.…”