Improving pesticides management in the Central Asia region

Obsolete pesticides represent a significant global environmental and health hazard. It is estimated that a substantial portion of the global stocks of obsolete pesticides can be found throughout the former Soviet Union area – including Central Asia – due to the highly chemicalised agriculture in the region, related mandatory pesticide applications and over-supply as part of the planning economy. These hazardous chemicals are often stored in deteriorated containers or buried in landfills, where leakages contaminate the soil and water and pose a high risk for the environment, biodiversity and human health. The numbers and sizes of obsolete pesticide stocks and contaminated soils differ from country to country, but what has remained the same throughout the years is that pesticides have been spread widely, leading to large-scale soil and water contamination in vast regions – including areas that contain villages and farmlands. Safe removal and disposal of obsolete pesticides is a technically complex and costly activity, with only Türkiye so far having disposed of its stock of POP chemicals.

Rural communities cannot hope to develop if soil and water are contaminated with pesticides. Likewise, local populations will not prosper if their crops cannot be sold due to residual contamination and the communities themselves are suffering from illnesses caused by pesticide poisoning. Safe disposal of obsolete pesticides is, therefore, of high importance. Equal attention must be paid to preventing the build-up of new obsolete stocks by introducing better agricultural practices, enhancing sustainability and resilience, reducing reliance on pesticide and ensuring better management, and decreasing the application of pesticides.

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