The use of glyphosate in regions of Argentina and Colombia and its socio-environmental impacts

BASÍLICO, GABRIEL; COGOLLO-RUEDA, MAURICIO; IONNO, VALERIA; FAGGI, ANA; DE CABO, LAURA

Agrochemicals in Soil and Environment

Springer

Año: 2022; p. 195 - 212

The massive use of agrochemicals has made possible to increase food production on a global scale; however, it has also caused multiple impacts on the environment and human health. In several South American countries, currently predominates an agro-industrial production model based on a technological package that includes transgenic seeds resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (GLY), as well as specialized machinery and other inputs. Such is the case of Argentina, a country in which transgenic soybean, corn, and cotton monocultures occupy millions of hectares and represent a large part of foreign exchange earnings. This model implies the discharge of massive amounts of GLY and other agrochemicals into the environment, also affecting the health of rural populations. In contrast to its use in grain production, GLY and other herbicides have been widely used in Colombia in the control of illicit crops, in particular Erythroxylum spp. In the present work, different socio-environmental aspects of the use of GLY in Argentina and Colombia are analyzed, contributing to the discussion on the need to implement new production models that value biological diversity and guarantee the provision of ecosystem services.