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Recent UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations failed again. Progress in Geneva was blocked by a small number of mostly oil-producing nations. Opponents insisted the emphasis should be on improving trash collection and recycling capacity. Plastic, which is made from oil and gas, is difficult to recycle. Globally, less than 10% of plastic waste is currently recycled, according to the UN. About 40 percent of plastic goes into consumer packaging, where it is used once and tossed aside. Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) corporations are the largest generator of single-use plastic waste. Sachets – small throwaway plastic packets of consumer products – have increasingly been marketed by large corporations like Unilever, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, and other big brands. Quietly but steadily something remarkable is happening in our country. Rural incomes are rising. Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) corporations sees rural India as next growth market. But selling vast quantities of these tiny plastic sachets, which are near impossible to collect and recycle, is resulting in a mountain of plastic pollution. The land we use to grow our food is subjected to much greater pollution from plastic contaminants.
Farming is another area where plastic is used in everything from seed coatings to mulch film. Plastic has made farming easier, but what happens to the material after it’s used? Plastics are leaching into farmers fields at a worrying rate, according to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) . A good example is mulching films, which farmers commonly use to cover the soil to help regulate temperature, conserve moisture and suppress weed growth. These films can be difficult to retrieve after harvesting, often leaving plastic residues in the soil that lead to erosion, reduced water infiltration and decreased microbial activity. Abandoned plastics have a tendency to degrade into smaller particles known as microplastics. These microplastics can accumulate in the soil and harm beneficial organisms, such as earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi, which are essential for healthy soils and plant growth. Plastic pollution in the marine environment has been widely documented, but a UN report found soil contains more microplastic pollution than the oceans. Disastrous plastic use in farming threatens food safety – UN . Most farmers are not aware of how much plastic is in their soil, because tests are not widely available.
The quest for ever-greater productivity – using herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and whatever other chemicals are at hand – is killing our soil. The use of pesticides decreases the general biodiversity in the soil. Pesticides are the first option when managing pests, rather than a last resort. They are applied well before any outbreak is detected. Pesticide manufacturers have long maintained that their products are essential to feeding the world. But a report by United Nations human rights experts challenges this assumption, arguing that the opposite is true : “ Reliance on hazardous pesticides is a short-term solution that undermines the right to adequate food and health for present and future generations. The idea that pesticides are essential to feed a fast-growing global population is a myth, according to UN food and pollution experts.
In a historic move for safer food and farming, the government of India launched a $379 million initiative to combat pollution from the use of pesticides and plastics in agriculture.
Similarly, excess use of synthetic fertilizers has become a major ecological problem and has been linked to soil degradation. A third of the planet’s land is severely degraded and fertile soil is being lost at the rate of 24bn tonnes a year, according to United Nations-backed study that calls for a shift away from destructively intensive agriculture. UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sound alarm about a global effort is indeed necessary to stop the soil degradation. Healthy soils help farmers become more resilient to extreme weather. Unfortunately, too much of our valuable soil has become degraded and therefore more vulnerable to extreme weather. The IAEA said: Agricultural activities contribute approximately 30 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Chemical fertilizers also contribute directly to climate change, through the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, and to air pollution through ammonia. The study, published in Nature, reveals that- “breadbasket” regions are particularly vulnerable, and will face substantial reductions in the production of most key food crops.
How do we produce sufficient food that’s healthy for both the people who produce it and the people who eat it? How do we ensure our food systems are resilient and equitable? How can we feed our growing global population and protect our planet for generations to come? Research suggests that it is entirely possible to grow food that’s better for us and grow it in ways that are better for the land. Organic, natural farming not only profitable & sustainable but also productive” – was the title of a report of the Down To Earth issued on February 24th, 2022.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has launched an ambitious project in India to support eco-friendly agriculture.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.