ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines a case study of a farmer in northern KwaZulu-Natal to illustrate the challenges posed to human health and the environment, and what a programme to realise the Right to Enjoy the Benefits of Scientific Progress (REBSP) might mean for reducing farmer vulnerability. The REBSP offers researchers, activists, policy-makers and civil society, novel opportunities to protect the health of small farmers exposed to pesticides in developing countries. For small farmers facing persistent pest problems, scientific solutions more suited to small farmers' needs might focus on novel non-toxic methods of pest control that do not rely on toxic chemicals. The use of pesticides continues to pose significant health and environmental hazards, despite scientific and technological advances in agricultural and industrial processes. A state which mandates the use of hazardous pesticides as a condition for the receipt of agricultural outreach services, or as part of land restitution, would be breaching its obligation to respect people's human rights.
