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Gender dynamics in pesticide use and management in Central Asia and Türkiye

Policy paper

Year of publication 2025

Place of publication Budapest, Hungary ;

Pages 26 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Synopsis (short abstract) Gender and age are critical sociodemographic determinants of pesticide use, management and exposure. This paper examines pesticide use among farmers and farm workers in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Türkiye, based on farmer surveys and expert interviews conducted under the GEF/FAO project “Pesticide Life Cycle Management and Disposal in Central Asia and Türkiye” (GCP/SEC/011/GFF) in 2020 and 2021. Despite limitations in dataset representativeness and cross-country comparability, the findings underscore the roles of women and children in pesticide handling, an issue often overlooked in formal assessments. While pesticide application and decision-making are predominantly carried out by men, there is strong evidence of women’s and children’s exposure. Moreover, women’s overrepresentation in unpaid and informal agricultural labour translates into underreported pesticide application. Concerningly, due to financial barriers and mobility constraints, women rely on inexpensive and unregulated products available in their local communities. The study also highlights the widespread lack of personal protective equipment among both genders, further contributing to health risks. This paper identifies inadequate pesticide management practices, pinpointing significant risk factors and knowledge gaps throughout the pesticide life cycle among farming household members. These findings indicate an urgent need for improved pesticide management policies and targeted training programmes tailored to the needs of women and men.

Language English

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