From the Ground Up: Documenting Pesticide Use in Bangladesh, India, Laos & Vietnam

Agriculture remains vital in Asia for food security, livelihoods, and cultural identity, yet heavy reliance on chemical pesticides—driven by the Green Revolution, monocultures, contract farming, and export demands—has led to unsafe practices, especially among smallholder farmers, landless workers, Indigenous communities, women, and children.

Many of the 138 million child laborers worldwide, over 61% in agriculture, face toxic exposure during or after spraying, while pesticides cause severe biodiversity loss (including to pollinators), contaminate soil, water, and air across borders, disrupt ecosystems, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

This Community-based Pesticide Action Monitoring (CPAM) report by PANAP presents participatory findings from agricultural areas in Bangladesh, India, Laos, and Vietnam, documenting pesticide use, health impacts, and risks to empower communities—especially women and youth—and advocate for agroecological alternatives that prioritize safer, more sustainable farming.