Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are used globally to enhance crop yields and promote food security. Despite their utility, pesticides also pose risks to human health (especially to farmworkers and surrounding communities) and the environment (e.g., biodiversity loss, air and water pollution). The quantities of pesticides used per area of cropland can be used as a proxy to monitor potential overuse of pesticides. This indicator assumes that the more pesticides are used, the greater is the risk of adverse outcomes for human health and the environment. However, the indicator is unable to account for how the risk of pesticide overuse differs across the world, dependent on regional conditions (including biodiversity levels and water scarcity), the compartment of the environment that is affected (e.g., air, soil, water), and the type of pesticide considered. Globally, pesticide use per area of cropland has been increasing rather than decreasing, rising 27% from 2000 to 2021. 

Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are used globally to enhance crop yields and promote food security. Despite their utility, pesticides also pose risks to human health (especially to farmworkers and surrounding communities) and the environment (e.g., biodiversity loss, air and water pollution). The quantities of pesticides used per area of cropland can be used as a proxy to monitor potential overuse of pesticides. This indicator assumes that the more pesticides are used, the greater is the risk of adverse outcomes for human health and the environment. However, the indicator is unable to account for how the risk of pesticide overuse differs across the world, dependent on regional conditions (including biodiversity levels and water scarcity), the compartment of the environment that is affected (e.g., air, soil, water), and the type of pesticide considered. Globally, pesticide use per area of cropland has been increasing rather than decreasing, rising 27% from 2000 to 2021.