Pesticide activists meet in Cuba

More than 100 activists, researchers and government officials from some 40 countries gathered in Santa Clara, Cuba from May 18-22 for the fourth meeting of the Pesticide Action Network. PAN is an international coalition of over 400 activist groups.

Presentations and workshops addressed many aspects of the struggles for environmentally sound and socially just food and fibre production; to increase the availability of information on health and environmental impacts of pesticides; to strengthen efforts to regulate the global pesticide trade; and to address threats to sustainable agriculture from the agrochemical and biotechnology industries.

Participants also focused on promoting socially just and sustainable pest management. A new PAN international campaign was developed — "Feeding the world without poisons" — as a framework for NGOs working to improve pest management practices, upgrade pesticide legislation, respond to international trade regulation and promote alternatives to pesticides.

The PAN meeting began with a field trip highlighting the widespread implementation of organic and low input sustainable agriculture in Cuba.

Cuba is in the midst of the most comprehensive conversion from conventional agriculture to organic or semi-organic farming ever attempted. Following the dissolution of the socialist trading bloc, Cuban researchers and farmers are working to replace their former heavy dependence on imported farm machinery, chemical inputs and food, and are instead increasing yields through animal traction, crop and pasture rotation, poly-culture, soil conservation, organic soil amendments, biological pest control and a rapidly expanding organic urban agricultural sector.

Participants considered the recent outbreaks in Cuba of Thrips Palmi Karay (see article above) and called for an immediate United Nations investigation of Cuban government allegations, filed with the UN in March, that this pest was intentionally released in an act of "biological aggression".
[Abridged from Pesticide Action Network.]

From GLW issue 278