Policy paper
2016
Pesticides have become an essential part of food and fiber production in industrial agriculture. However, contrary to what is often argued by its proponents, industrial agriculture, with its narrow focus on cash crops, does not necessarily provide people with reliable access to nutrition. Instead, rising input costs of technology and specialized knowledge put farmers in a position of dependency and at risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Legal action can hold pesticide companies accountable for health and environmental damage due to pesticides. Litigation can contribute to placing checks on, and restricting the power held by, these transnational companies in the global industrial agricultural system. In coordination with social movements, trade unions and farmer associations on the ground, legal proceedings can support the emancipatory struggle of plaintiffs, petitioners, and their communities in demanding their rights and their agricultural vision.
