Brazil: Peasant Women Highlight Health Impacts of Pesticides and Demand Public Policies for Diversified, Local Production
On March 8th, peasant women from the organizations that are part of La Via Campesina (LVC) in Rondônia gathered on March 11th and 12th in the city of Jaru. They came from all regions of the state to discuss and denounce the impacts of agribusiness and agrochemicals on their daily lives and health, while raising their voices in defense of life. Last year, they faced the worst drought in decades, a direct consequence of deforestation and the destruction of their biomes, and they are still dealing with the losses this drought brought to their families and food production. They recognize that these environmental catastrophes, which have had such a profound impact on them, are not the result of chance, but rather the outcome of a production model that places profit above the lives and dignity of the people.
Here is an excerpt from a public letter they issued after the meeting.
ADVANCEMENT OF AGRIBUSINESS & IT’S HARMFUL EFFECT ON PEASANT WOMEN
Agriculture undeniably plays a central role in the economy and in feeding the population. However, the dominant agricultural model today relies on monoculture farming aimed at exporting raw materials, with the intensive use of agrochemicals. These practices harm not only the environment but, more importantly, the health of those who work and live in rural areas. Women and children, in particular, are among the most vulnerable to these impacts. As farmers, we are especially exposed to these substances, as we not only encounter them while working in the fields but also through chemical residues when washing contaminated clothes, for example. Our families are also at risk from consuming contaminated water and food, as our lands are surrounded by this poison.
CAMPAIGN DATA – BREAST, OVARIAN, AND UTERINE CANCER
Brazil is one of the world’s largest consumers of pesticides, with more than 700,000 tons of pesticides used annually, according to Anvisa. Data from the Permanent Campaign to Confront Pesticides also show that 30% of the pesticides currently registered for use in Brazil are banned in the European Union due to their association with increased cases of breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer, depression, suicide, endocrine and kidney diseases, birth defects, premature births, and miscarriages.
CANCER IN COMMODITY-PRODUCING MUNICIPALITIES
According to estimates from the National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rondônia will register approximately 2,700 new cases of cancer annually between 2023 and 2025, totaling more than 8,000 cases in the three-year period. Although there is no specific data published for Rondônia, research conducted in other states with significant agribusiness expansion reveals the relationship between the use of pesticides and the increase in cases. For example, in the state of Mato Grosso, research conducted by the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) identified a high incidence of cancer in municipalities that produce agricultural raw materials, associating it with the intensive use of pesticides.
WE WANT PUBLIC POLICIES FOR COUNTRYSIDE AGRICULTURE
For all these reasons, we emphasize the importance of public policies targeting peasant production. We denounce the senselessness of investing in cancer hospitals and continuing to prioritize this predatory production model, based on the intensive use of pesticides, which pollutes the land, water, food, and our bodies. The countryside cannot continue to be held hostage to the interests of large commodity exporters, who only serve the interests of large corporate conglomerates, while workers fall ill and suffer from food insecurity and hunger.
THIS MARCH 8, 2025:
1. We reaffirm our collective struggle in defense of life, health, and our territories.
2. We affirm that it is possible and urgent to build a production model that focuses on the sustainability of life, the agroecological transition, the decentralization of land ownership, and fair access to natural resources, one that values peasant agriculture and the role of women in the production of healthy food and environmental preservation;
3. We demand that nature not be a commodity, nor are our lives.
4. We promote public policies that guarantee support for diversified and local production and popular supply, that strengthen food sovereignty and respect the rights of rural communities, women, children, and future generations;
5. We demand the repeal of State Decree 30.027/2025, which regulates the use of agrochemicals and authorizes aerial spraying, and we advocate for the creation of legislation that prohibits aerial spraying, including by drones, and sets limits on its application, respecting the territories.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT, ORGANIZED, STANDING UP, WITH THE CERTAINTY THAT WITHOUT FEMINISM, AGROECOLOGY, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE AND IN THE CITY, THERE WILL BE NO POSSIBLE FUTURE.
In defense of our rights and for food sovereignty, united against fascism, violence, and hunger!