Pesticides, productivity, and farmer health: A Philippine case study

The farm productivity effects of health and the health effects associated with on-farm pesticide use are discussed. This approach was implemented in a study of rice production and farmer health in 2 regions of the Philippines during 1987-91. Production data from a farm-level survey were integrated with health data collected from the same population of farmers to measure the impacts of pesticide use on farmer health and the impacts of farmer health on productivity. These relationships were used in simulation analysis to investigate the health and productivity trade-offs implied by a policy to restrict pesticide use. A consistent pattern was established showing that pesticide use had an adverse impact on farmer health and that impairment of farmer health reduced productivity [CAB abstracts].