• Introduction and Pesticides 101
• Pesticide Usage
  • Pesticide Use Date Sources
    • Pesticide Use Indicators
  • Pesticide Use Data System (PUDS)
    • PUDS Methodology and Data Sources
    • Dealing with Data Gaps
    • Conglomerates
    • Dealing With Missing Years
    • Further Implications
• Dietary Risks
  • Human Health Impacts
  • Dietary Risk Index
• Impacts of GE on Pesticide Use
  • Impacts on Herbicide Use
  • Impacts on Insecticide Use
  • Net Impacts of GE Crop Technology
  • 2012 Environmental Sciences Europe Paper
  • Glyphosate Use
  • 2,4-D and Dicamba
• Environmental, Human Health, and Other Impacts of Pesticides
  • Environmental Impacts
  • Farmworker Exposure
  • Health Impacts
  • Pollinator Health
  • Yield and Soil Quality

Introduction and Pesticides 101

A pesticide is defined as any chemical that controls pests including weeds (herbicides), insects (insecticides), and plant diseases (fungicides).  Pest management systems and technology have been, for most of a century, one of the most dynamic, important, complex, and controversial aspects of life on the farm.

The efficacy of pest management systems, and the chemicals and practices within them, have huge impacts on:

• Farm profitability;
• The adequacy and quality of the food supply;
• Non-target organisms and biodiversity;
• Soil and water quality; and
• Animal and human health.

And the pace of change is exploding both in pest management systems and technology, and our understanding of their impacts, both good and bad.  For this reason, Hygeia Analytics will share extensive information on the tools and data used to study the impacts and performance of pesticide management systems, and in particular, the pesticides used within them.

Related Keywords:

• Pesticides

 Other Resources

• Pesticides 101 from the Pesticide Action Network
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences pesticide resources:
  • Overview and links
  • Agricultural Health Study page with yearly reports on long-term study of pesticide impacts on agricultural families and farmworkers