Being the largest country in Central America, Nicaragua is incredibly diverse- its landscape comprised of mountains, lakes, rivers, volcanoes, beaches, rainforests, cities, and farmland.   Forty-five percent of Nicaragua’s population lives in rural areas. Of those who live in rural populations, four-fifths rely on agricultural income. Sixty-seven percent of Nicaragua’s export earnings come from coffee, beef, peanuts, banana, lobsters, sugar, dairy products, beans and sesame. As a result, the country largely relies on agriculture. The problem with Nicaragua’s environment is that it is highly susceptible to natural disasters such as floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and earthquakes. These environmental risks threaten farmers and their livelihood. Unfortunately, the environmental risks are not the only danger to farmers. Pests and insects also threaten the survival of crops. Because the country relies on agricultural productivity, the use of pesticides is encouraged. Pesticide use is not well controlled and poisoning from pesticides is highly prevalent in Central America. This has become a major health concern for the farmers in Nicaragua.

One survey reported that 82.5% of the 458 people they interviewed work directly with pesticides (with more men than women reporting use). Of those who use pesticides, 48% reported having been poisoned or made ill by pesticide use during their lifetime. Twenty-five percent of those interviewed reported poisonings in the past year and 11% had been poisoned in the past month. Medical professionals only saw half of those people. Of those seen, only 35% were reported to the National Unified Health System in Nicaragua. The National Unified Health System requires pesticide poisonings to be reported, but it is left up to the clinicians to define when a poisoning has occurred, as no formal definition has ever been provided. Therefore, the number of poisonings is severely underreported especially considering that more than half of the people poisoned do not seek medical treatment.

Forty-three percent of people under 16 years old reported having used pesticides. According to Nicaraguan law, you must be older than 16 to work with pesticides, so this is a clear legal violation. Young workers are at increased risk for long-term health effects, which is why use by young people is prohibited. These numbers are clearly concerning, but hard to avoid in areas where families rely on all the help they can get.

Farmers are not the only people affected by pesticide use. Consumers are also at risk as pesticides are found in food, water resources, and soils. This makes pesticide use more than just an occupational hazard.

Certain programs, known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), have tried to come up with effective ways to manage pesticide use. The general goal of these programs is to teach farmers how to better manage their crops through training. Training farmers can be very effective. In fact, it was reported that intensive training resulted in farmers using 41% of normal pesticide amount. Teaching farmers to decrease pesticide use has several benefits: lowers costs, creates greater economic returns, and reduces health risk. It was also found that farmers are willing to spend an additional amount of about 28% of the current pesticide expenditure to avoid health risks. This proves that farmers are aware of the health problems associated with pesticides, but just do not have the proper equipment or training to effectively use them.

Pesticide use is one of the most hazardous occupational health concerns. Considering how much of the country is affected, there needs to be more done. I personally do not have a solution, but I have hope that one day this endemic will be under control.