ABSTRACT
Efficiency gains in agricultural production as a result of agro-chemicals (chemical pesticides and fertilizers) are reported to be significant. That is obviously important given the projected growth of world population, though in many countries there is an increasing concern about the public health risks and negative environmental effects of agro-chemicals application. These contrary positions - the positive contribution of agro-chemicals to food production versus their real and perceived negative impacts on health and the environment - justify a careful analysis of the role of agro-chemicals within sustainable agriculture. For agriculture to become more sustainable, the relationships between agro-chemical use, crop response and environmental quality and human health need to be studied. Many factors are involved in these interrelationships and their dynamics: agro-ecology and climate, crops and rotations, socioeconomic conditions, farmers’ knowledge and their preferences, the influence of research, education and extension, and developments within the chemical industry.
