Pesticide Network
The Pesticide Network is a Community of Practice (CoP) aimed at fostering engagement with global stakeholders to share knowledge and information on issues related to pesticide risk management, regulation and risk prevention.
The Pesticide Network was established in 1997. Its purpose is to bring representatives from different regions, sectors and stakeholder groups together to foster a “mutually supporting consortium of stakeholders” and to highlight current issues related to pesticides.
Two key outputs under this network are a newsletter (previously biweekly and now bimonthly) and an online discussion held every 2nd month.
Next discussion: in 2025 - sign up to the network for announcements!
Scroll down to view all the past issues and resources.
The Pesticide Network Newsletter
The purpose of the Pesticide Network Newsletter is to share recent pesticide-related research (e.g. health, environment, occupational, policy), global policy and regulatory initiatives, as well as training and job opportunities for a wide range of interested individuals and stakeholders.
The newsletter includes an editorial piece, sometimes contributed by a topic expert, which delves into pertinent pesticide-related issues, often including recently published documents from United Nations organisations and policy or regulatory information.
The Pesticide Network Discussion Forum
The purpose of the Pesticide Network Discussion Forum is to bring representatives from different regions, sectors and stakeholder groups together to foster a “mutually supporting consortium of stakeholders” to discuss various issues related to pesticides.
These sessions are 'presented' by subject matter experts who propose three main questions. Participants respond to the questions, additional polls and each other’s commentary through the chat function of Zoom.
For each discussion, the division provides a newsletter, a discussion guide, a recording with the slides and a digest.
Past Issues Resources (Discussion Forum and Newsletters)
- 24 October 2024: Options for Reducing Risk When Phasing-Out Pesticides
- 12 September 2024: Understanding & Implementing the WHO/FAO Guidance on Use of Pesticide Regulation to Prevent Suicide
- 18 July 2024: Addressing Vector Control Challenges Including DDT Use
- 23 May 2024: Mechanisms for Preventing Illegal Pesticides Trade
- 25 April 2024: RNA Interference-Based Pesticides (RNAi): Exploring gene-silencing pesticides, their benefits & concerns
- 07 March 2024: Implementing Pesticide Alternatives in Urban and Agricultural Contexts
Closed
- 08 December 2023: Pesticides & Climate Change
- Newsletter 'How Do Pesticides Contribute to Greenhouse Gas Emissions?'
- Newsletter 'How Does Climate Change Impact Pesticide Use'
- 16 November 2023: Identifying Levers to Enable Less Chemistry-Dependent Agricultural Systems
- 19 October 2023: The Impact of Gender Inequality on Hazardous Pesticide Exposures
- 28 September 2023: Roles & Challenges of Poison Information Centres in Africa in Addressing Pesticide Poisoning
- 07 September 2023: The Benefits of the African Proposed Resolution for a Global Alliance to Phase Out Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs)
- 03 August 2023: Different roles and perspectives for managing online sales of pesticides
- 06 July 2023: Pesticides & Suicide – the Impact of Global Inaction and Regional Action on Regulating Highly Hazardous Pesticides
- Newsletter 'Pesticides & Suicide and the JMPM Report'
- Newsletter 'Could Pesticide Exposure Increase Mental Health Risks in Farmers?'
- Newsletter 'The Interplay of International Chemical Conventions to Address the Issue of Highly Hazardous Pesticides'
- Newsletter 'Why Risk Reduction Does Not Work'
- Digest
- Powerpoint presentation
- Recording
- 08 June 2023: Drones in Pesticide Application
- 18 May 2023: Addressing the Research Gap in Pesticide Interventions
- 14 April 2023: The Heightened Risk of Pesticide Exposure in Sub-Saharan Africa
- 06 April 2023: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Potential for Promoting Sound Chemicals and Waste Management
- 16 March 2023: Overcoming the challenges with reporting pesticide poisonings
- 23 February 2023: New Alternatives module of the FAO Pesticide Registration Toolkit
- 09 February 2023: A Global Alliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides
Closed
- 24 November 2022: The dangers of paraquat and lessons learned from phasing it out
- 3 November 2022: Protecting pollinators from pesticides: Urgent need for action
- 21 October 2022: Human Pesticide Exposure and Poisoning may Create Human Rights Violations
- 17 October 2022: Pesticides and suicides: Implementing policy change
- 22 September 2022: How to restrict access to hazardous pesticides while protecting agriculture: Pesticides and suicides
- 08 September 2022: Why blame the victim? Pesticides and suicides
- 26 August 2022: The Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention and UCT are offering 3 Bursaries!
- 12 August 2022: SAICM/UCT HHP Factsheet For National Focal Points
- 29 July 2022: UCT's DPRM and MCRM Programmes are Strengthening Global Pesticide and Chemical Risk Management Strategies
- 14 July 2022: The Importance of Regional Pesticide Regulatory Bodies for Managing and Reducing Pesticide Risks
- 1 July 2022: The Postgraduate Diploma in Pesticide Risk Management and the FAO/WHO's International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management
- 17 June 2022: Challenges and Successes of IPM and Biopesticides
- 9 June 2022: Pesticide Management Initiatives in Africa
- 03 June 2022: FAO Specifications: A global Standard for the Registration of Pesticides in LMICs
- 19 May 2022: Impurities
- 28 April 2022: Online sale of pesticides
- 07 April 2022: Risks associated with application of pesticides by drone
- 25 March 2022: Supporting LMICs to Address Unintentional Pesticide Poisoning and Pesticide Suicide
- 17 March 2022: Chemical Observatories & Decision-Making Tools: prioritizing chemicals interventions
- 11 March 2022: Supporting the Sound Management of Pesticides in Africa
- 25 February 2022: Pesticide Regulation: A Risk-Based vs Hazard-Based Approach
- 24 February 2022: Hierarchy of Control and how to choose the correct pesticide to use in local conditions
- 11 February 2022: South Africa's Environmental Programmes Pesticide Policy for the Control of Alien Invasive Species
- 28 January 2022: How Pesticides Contributed Towards Exceeding the Safe Planetary Boundary for Pollutants
Closed
- 25 November 2021: E-Labelling and Pesticides
- 18 November 2021: Gender and Pesticide Management
- 04 November 2021: Child Labour and Pesticide Exposure: Setting, Enforcing, and Monitoring Regulations for a Vulnerable Population
- 21 October 2021: Pesticide exposure in countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
- 07 October 2021: Illegal trade of pesticides and the OECD activities related to it
- 09 September 2021: Pesticide residues in food: setting, enforcing, and monitoring maximum residue levels (MRLs)
- 02 September 2021: Double Standards and Hazardous Pesticides
- 12 August 2021: Nano-formulated pesticides: Innovation opportunities and regulation context from a low to middle income country
- 29 July 2021: Conducting risk assessments in Africa: Issues and challenges
- 1 July 2021: Triggers for GHS implementation: Pesticide labelling, Highly Hazardous Pesticides identification and regional approaches
- 17 June 2021: Having a rights-based approach to pesticides management
- 03 June 2021: Gender and Pesticides
- 06 May 2021: Pesticides Advertising
- 22 April 2021: Addressing hazardous child labour and reducing risks posed by hazardous pesticides
- 08 April 2021: Pesticides and Suicides
- 11 March 2021: Externalities and Hidden Costs of Highly Hazardous Pesticides discussion digest
- 25 February 2021: Confidential Business Information & Access to Information
Closed
- 19 November 2020: Sustainable Financing of Chemical Control and Pesticide Management
- 22 October 2020: Ongoing activities in countries regarding risk reduction of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs)
- 8 October 2020: Sustainable Management of Empty Pesticide Containers
- 24 September 2020: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when handling and applying pesticides
- 27 August 2020: Buffer Zones for Managing Pesticide Spray Drift
- 13 August 2020: SADC Guidelines on Pesticides Management and Risk Reduction
- 30 July 2020: Food Risk Assessment and Sampling Plans for Pesticides
- 16 July 2020: Linking international processes on Highly Hazardous Pesticides to national action
- 18 June 2020: Use of Colour Codes on Pesticide Labels for Acute and Chronic Toxicity in LMICs
- 4 June 2020: The contribution of poisons information centres to pesticide risk reduction
- 21 May 2020: Methodologies for Transitioning to Low-risk Pesticides
- 7 May 2020: Environmental effects of chemical control of migratory pests
- 23 April 2020: Confidential Business Information and access to data; and the right to know
- 9 April 2020: Pesticide occupational epidemiology studies: biological and environmental monitoring in low-to middle-income countries and what that could mean for regulating pesticides
- 26 March 2020: Pesticide Registration Criteria
- 12 March 2020: Sustainable Financing of Chemicals Control and Pesticide Management
- 27 February 2020: FAO Pesticide Discussion Toolkit
Closed
- 27 June 2019: The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)
Closed
Closed