What is dicamba?
Dicamba is a synthetic agrochemical herbicide that has been used for decades in conventional agriculture. Typically, it was used to kill weeds before planting, but was recently approved for use on growing crops and plants. Some major agrochemical companies including Monsanto and Dupont have also genetically modified plants to produce dicamba-resistant soybean and cotton seeds, allowing farmers to use this chemical more than ever before. However, this has created widespread problems.

As farmers have used dicamba and grown with dicamba-resistant seeds, more of the chemical has been sprayed. Dicamba is a highly volatile chemical, meaning it’s easily airborne and susceptible to drift, which consequently comes in contact with non-dicamba-resistant crops, crippling them and stunting their growth. So far there have been reports of over 2.5 million acres affected. Dicamba’s chemical effects are also an obvious health concern for consumer of not just the GMO crops, but also the food produced in the affected areas.

In recent months, states such as Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri (Monsanto’s home state) have been restricting dicamba use in order to preserve their crops that are being devastated by this chemical. Some farmers have even filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of these chemicals. Additionally, due to increased complaints, the Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing its current policy on dicamba.

Instead of putting farmers’ livelihoods at risk, it is imperative that natural and sustainable methods are put into practice. When using products such as neem, there are no negative side effects on the crops or surrounding systems, and not only are the crops effectively protected, but the environment and surrounding ecosystem benefits from neem’s properties.

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Chlorpyrifos is available for widespread and public use on food crops in the United States and around the world, despite causing brain and nervous system damage. Severe exposure has even been linked to lowered intelligence levels and ADHD in children, which comes as no surprises when you consider that it shares a similar chemical structure to nerve gas. Specialists at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have frequently attempted to ramp up regulations of this synthetic pesticide, only to have any developments reversed at the last minute.

A first-of-its-kind bill, the ‘Protect Children, Farmers & Farmworkers from Nerve Agent Pesticides Act’ will amend the US Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act to include a ban on chlorpyrifos use in food. This bill will direct the EPA to work with the National Research Council to assess the effects of similar organophosphate pesticides on agricultural workers and children as well as develop more comprehensive educational programs on pesticides and their history.

While many, in particular the companies producing these synthetic chemicals, claim that they are safe for use on food crops, studies have shown their toxicity to humans, in particular for expectant mothers and young children. It is shocking that we continue to apply unprecedented amounts of these agrochemicals on our arable land when there are safe alternatives, including neem-based products. Neem, as a natural solution, is not only effective but also completely safe for the environment!

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Many places around the world are winning the fight against glyphosate. A California judge just ruled that Monsanto will be required to include a warning that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen on their best-selling product, Roundup. Unfortunately misinformation is proliferating the use of these toxic synthetic pesticides elsewhere, especially across the developing world, and many populations are being affected.

For example, in Argentina, between 2002 and 2008, the number of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers produced in the country increased by 48%, 75% of these synthetics are herbicides like Roundup. Now, in areas surrounding the 30 million hectares of cultivated land, there are reports of unprecedented levels of sickness ranging from cancer, chronic diseases, deformities and miscarriages. Damián Verzeñassi, the Director of Social Environmental Health at the National University of Rosario in Argentina, took his students to investigate communities smaller than 10,000 people in more rural areas of Argentina. What they found was that people in these smaller villages – no matter the location in Argentina – were not dying of cardiovascular diseases, like the majority of Argentinians in urban locations, but from cancer. This, compounded with the facts that 80% of these areas were located less than half a mile from cultivated areas and that over half of all cases of cancer in the past quarter century have occurred in the last five years, brings to light a very scary conclusion: these synthetics can cause cancer, and fast!

According to the Argentinian National Institute of Cancer, the average incidence of cancer in 2012 was 217 per 100,000 inhabitants, whereas in the data taken by Verzeñassi, that number was 397.4. What can be done?

There are cost-effective and much safer ways to safely produce enough food for the world. One natural way is neem. Neem’s unique compound azadirachtin is extremely effective at repelling pests and protecting crops, while while being 100% natural! The best part? Neem is non-toxic to non-target animals such as pollinators, humans, and the environment! Without all of the toxic chemical runoff, communities such as these in Argentina that rely on food production for their livelihood can continue to thrive and flourish without worrying about the potential fatal health risks from synthetic chemicals.

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You should be.

Why?

There is a predicted population increase of 3 billion people in the next 30 years. That is a 40% increase in the population! The world reached its first billion just 200 years ago, and during the 20th century alone, the population increased from 1.65 billion to 6 billion. When the population increased, mankind was forced to rapidly increase their food production, thus we created synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. They worked wonders in the short term, but now, they are poisoning our bodies, our families, and our environment.

If each person were to choose one organic product out of every 10 they purchased, we could begin to save our planet. How? If everyone began to buy 1/10 organic, then we would have 98 million servings of clean drinking water free of the toxic chemicals that are poisoning so many communities. 20 million servings of milk would remain antibiotic-free, thereby easing the pressure of antibiotic resistance that is occurring at alarming rates around the world. We would even reduce our total oil use by 2.9 billion barrels each year. Convinced yet?

With your support, demand, and choice, we can shape out sustainable future. By choosing organic products, you will actively support organic agriculture, of which neem is a vital component. As a biopesticide, neem is not only a healthier, safer option for our environment than the typical synthetic pesticide, but it will also help us achieve sustainable food security throughout the world, allowing mankind to thrive in harmony with the environment.

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One reason that this happens is due to conventional farming methods. When we use conventional farming methods, we are clearing trees from once natural land and depleting the natural resources from that space. We then continue to spray these lands with dangerous synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, further exacerbating soil erosion and degradation.

According to research published in BioScience, the annual cost of environmental and public health impacts due to soil erosion is $45 billion. If we employ alternative methods that aid in the reversal of soil erosion, such as organic farming, no-till farming, and planting neem trees, we could lower this number and instead allocate those funds to other significant issues.

Planting trees in an organic farming system contributes to the overall sustainable model for organic farms, providing shade for livestock, preventing erosion, and improving nutrient levels in soil. By planting neem trees we are effectively combating global warming and providing sustainable solutions in agriculture. Soils under pasture are nutrient-rich, containing 60% more organic matter content than cultivated fields. Neem trees are an excellent option to aid in this soil and farmland recovery as they combat soil erosion, sequester a large amount of carbon, and provide natural animal feed and shade for animals.

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