DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jsp.2024.24788

Hestia to Demeter: Reducing Agrochemical Pollution to Empower Women Farmers

Aya Fardoun orcid  -  Department of Agricultural Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
*Rami I Elhusseini orcid scopus  -  Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Sustainable Development Goals Focal Person., Lebanon
Youssef Abou Jawdah scopus  -  Department of Agricultural Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Open Access Copyright 2024 Journal of Sustainability Perspectives
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Citation Format:
Abstract

The 2020 Farm to Fork strategy by the European Commission aimed to reduce agrochemical pollutants and protect biodiversity but stirred controversy due to conflicts between intensive agriculture demands and environmental priorities. Strict limits on agrochemical residues required farmers to produce less. The de-intensification and agroecology prone policy impacted livelihoods, sparking political upheaval. Due to lack of pesticide alternatives and extension services, Lebanese exports have faced challenges complying with residue restrictions. Agricultural laborers and consumers are exposed to high levels of pesticide residue. Undocumented refugee women form a significant part of the agricultural workforce, and women led agricultural cooperatives have minimal access to funding, exacerbating gender inequity. The American University of Beirut (AUB) has played a pivotal role in agroecology research, rural development, and gender equity. Knowledge transfer promotes civic awareness and private sector partnerships. Local Natural enemies and parasites emerged as a residue-free alternative to agrochemicals. Biocontrol-based integrated pest management holds great potential for mitigating pesticides hazards to human and environmental health. Launching the “natural predators” initiative from women-run farms holds a great promise in dually resolving the problems of agrochemical pollution and gender equity in the agricultural sector. Empowering women in agriculture aims to transform their role from care work to farm management. This paper focuses on the technical aspects of developing “natural enemies” as pesticides alternative for Lebanese agriculture, aiming to overcome export challenges and revitalize the economy. "Farm to Fork meets Hestia to Demeter" underscores AUB's commitment to sustainability aligns climate action with gender equity. By supporting women entrepreneurs and addressing climate change's impact on public health, the initiative contributes to AUB's broader mission of advancing Lebanon and the region through Education for Sustainable Development.

Fulltext View|Download

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Original Articles
Language : EN
Recent articles
Hestia to Demeter: Reducing Agrochemical Pollution to Empower Women Farmers The U.D.C.A. on the Road to Environmental Sustainability in Its Infrastructure and Environment The Brazilian Network of Higher Education Institutions for Sustainable Development (Rede UniSustentável) More recent articles
  1. Abdel‐Raheem, M., & Al-Keridis, L. A. (2017). Virulence of Three Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Tomato Crop. Journal of Entomology, 14(4), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.3923/je.2017.155.159
  2. Abdelali‐Martini, M. and J. Dey de Pryck (2015). "Does the feminisation of agricultural labour empower women? Insights from female labour contractors and workers in Northwest Syria." Journal of International Development 27(7): 898-916
  3. Avis, W. (2017). Gender equality and women’s empowerment in Lebanon, UK Department for International Development
  4. Calvo, F., Bolckmans, K., & Belda, J. E. (2009). Development of a biological control‐ based Integrated Pest Management method for Bemisia tabaci for protected sweet pepper crops. Entomologia Experimentalis Et Applicata, 133(1), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1570-7458.2009.00896
  5. Dal, E., A. M. Díaz-González, C. Morales-Opazo and M. Vigani (2021). Agricultural sector review in Lebanon, Food & Agriculture Org
  6. Darwich, S. and F. Madau (2024). "Typology of agricultural holdings: a starting point for understanding the performance of irrigated systems in Baalbek Al Hermel Lebanon." Technium Sustainability 5: 8-28
  7. Farhall, K. and L. Rickards (2021). "The “gender agenda” in agriculture for development and its (lack of) alignment with feminist scholarship." Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 5: 573424
  8. Gonzalez, F., Tkaczuk, C., Dinu, M. M., Fiedler, Ż., Vidal, S., Zchori-Fein, E., & Messelink,
  9. G. (2016). New opportunities for the integration of microorganisms into biological pest control systems in greenhouse crops. Journal of Pest Science, 89(2), 295–311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-016-0751-x
  10. Hamade, K., G. Malorgio and P. Midmore (2015). "Contrasting quantitative and qualitative approaches to rural development analysis: The case of agricultural intensification in Lebanon." Journal of Agricultural Economics 66(2): 492-518
  11. Hejase, A. J., I. Hamie and H. J. Hejase "Original Paper The Gender Wage Gap within the Agricultural Sector: A Case from South Lebanon."
  12. Khafagy, A., A. M. Díaz-González, E. Nano, J. Soguero Escuer, C. Morales Opazo, A. Salibi, L. El Tawn and W. Dikah (2022). Lebanon’s agrifood system in times of turbulence: obstacles and opportunities, Food & Agriculture Org
  13. London, L., Beseler, C. L., Bouchard, M. F., Bellinger, D. C., Colosio, C., Grandjean, P., Harari, R., Kootbodien, T., Kromhout, H., Little, F., Meijster, T., Moretto, A., Rohlman, D. S., & Stallones, L. (2012). Neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental effects of pesticide exposures. Neurotoxicology, 33(4), 887–896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2012.01.004
  14. Martín-Reina, J., Casanova, A. G., Dahiri, B., Fernández, I. M., Fernández- Palacín, A., Bautista, J., Morales, A. I., & Moreno, I. (2021). Adverse health effects in women farmers indirectly exposed to pesticides. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11), 5909. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115909
  15. Maertens, M., & Swinnen, J. (2012). Gender and modern supply chains in developing countries. Journal of Development Studies, 48(10), 1412–1430. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2012.663902
  16. Memon, Q. U. A., Wagan, S. A., Dong, C., Shuangxi, X., Jingdong, L., & Damalas,
  17. C. A. (2019). Health problems from pesticide exposure and personal protective measures among women cotton workers in southern Pakistan. Science of the Total Environment, 685, 659–666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.173
  18. Messelink, G., Maanen, B., Van Steenpaal, S., & Janssen, A. (2008). Biological control of thrips and whiteflies by a shared predator: Two pests are better than one. Biological Control, 44(3), 372–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2007.10.017
  19. Mocbil, A. S. A. (2022). "The History of Feminism in the Arab World." Journal of Social Studies 28(4): 82-91
  20. Monqid, S. (2024). Women and Urban Governance in the Arab World: Case Studies from the MENA Region. Local Governance and Development in Africa and the Middle East, Springer: 187-195
  21. Naguib, R. (2024). "Motivations and barriers to female entrepreneurship: Insights from Morocco." Journal of African Business 25(1): 9-36
  22. Nasr, S. (1978). "Backdrop to civil war: The crisis of Lebanese capitalism." Merip Reports(73): 3-13
  23. Noory, B., R. R. Habib and I. Nuwayhid (2024). "Exposure of Syrian refugee agricultural workers to pesticides in Lebanon: a socio-economic and political lens." Frontiers in Public Health 12: 1402511
  24. Sakr, N. (2022). "The Syrian refugees' impact on Lebanon's food security."
  25. Nomikou, M., Sabelis, M. W., & Janssen, A. (2009). Pollen subsidies promote whitefly control through the numerical response of predatory mites. BioControl, 55(2), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-009-9233-x
  26. Opit, G. P., Nechols, J. R., & Margolies, D. C. (2004). Biological control of twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), using Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseidae) on ivy geranium: assessment of predator release ratios. Biological Control, 29(3), 445–452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2003.08.007
  27. Pilkington, L. J., Messelink, G., Van Lenteren, J., & Mottee, K. L. (2010). “Protected Biological Control” – Biological pest management in the greenhouse industry. Biological Control, 52(3), 216–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2009.05.022
  28. Shamna, A., Jha, S. K., Alam, N. M., & Kar, R. (2022). Assessment of technological interventions in farm women empowerment. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 58(1), 142–145. https://doi.org/10.48165/ijee.2022.58139
  29. Shin, T. Y., Bae, S. M., Kim, D. J., Yun, H. G., & Woo, S. D. (2017). Evaluation of virulence, tolerance to environmental factors and antimicrobial activities of entomopathogenic fungi against two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae
  30. Mycoscience, 58(3), 204–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.myc.2017.02.002
  31. Ullah, M. S., & Lim, U. T. (2017). Synergism of Beauveria bassiana and Phytoseiulus persimilis in control of Tetranychus urticae on bean plants. Systematic and Applied Acarology, 22(11), 1924. https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.22.11.11
  32. Yücel, C. (2021). Effects of local isolates of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin on the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Koch) (Acari: Tetranychidae). Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control, 31(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41938-021-00409-2

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update:

No citation recorded.