Side benefits are less immediate and include food security, increased export revenues and reduced international spread of diseases. Nearly 1.8 billion people involved in agricultural activities use pesticides to protect their products. In the United States, more than 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year and approximately 5.6 billion pounds worldwide. Many people pesticide for lawns and gardens, grocery stores and in & around their homes.
Since 1960, the use of pesticides has proven to be more beneficial than any other method of pest control. But the actual amount of pesticides needed by crops is less than 5% of the total amount used, and the rest remains in the soil and is transferred to groundwater. Many other disadvantages of pesticides uproot questions about the use of these chemicals. Pesticides can contaminate soil, water, grass, and other vegetation.
In addition to killing insects or weeds, pesticides can be toxic to a large number of other organisms, including birds, fish, beneficial insects, and non-target plants. Insecticides are generally the most toxic class of pesticides, but herbicides can also pose risks to non-target organisms. When resistance is not an issue, pesticides are generally very effective in controlling pests when considering the other disadvantages. However, when the disadvantages of pesticides outweigh the advantages, farmers seek alternative methods of pest control, the most common being biological pest control.
The biggest advantage of pesticides is that they are readily available and very easy to use, unlike alternative methods, such as biological control and other similar methods, which can take a long time to plan and often do not have an immediate effect on pests.
