
-
'Incredible' Curry scores 52 as Warriors down Grizzlies, Bucks edge Suns
-
Asian markets edge up but uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
Nintendo's megahit Switch console: what to know
-
Nintendo to unveil upgrade to best-selling Switch console
-
China practises hitting key ports, energy sites in Taiwan drills
-
Oil, sand and speed: Saudi gearheads take on towering dunes
-
All eyes on Tsunoda at Japan GP after ruthless Red Bull move
-
'Image whisperers' bring vision to the blind at Red Cross museum
-
Hay shines as New Zealand make 292-8 in Pakistan ODI
-
Other governments 'weaponising' Trump language to attack NGOs: rights groups
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Meme politics: White House embraces aggressive alt-right online culture
-
China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait
-
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
US senator smashes record with marathon anti-Trump speech
-
Trump advisor Waltz faces new pressure over Gmail usage
-
Niger junta frees ministers of overthrown government
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Boeing chief to acknowledge 'serious missteps' at US Senate hearing
-
Real Madrid hold Real Sociedad in eight-goal thriller to reach Copa del Rey final
-
Nuno salutes 'special' Elanga after stunning strike fires Forest
-
PSG survive scare against Dunkerque to reach French Cup final
-
Sundowns edge Esperance as crowd violence mars quarter-final
-
Nottingham Forest beat Man Utd, Saka scores on Arsenal return
-
Elanga wonder-goal sinks Man Utd as Forest eye Champions League berth
-
Stock markets mostly advance ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
-
US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming
-
Saka scores on return as Arsenal beat Fulham
-
Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
-
Ball-blasting 'Torpedo bats' making waves across MLB opening weekend
-
Newsmax shares surge more than 2,000% in days after IPO
-
Thousands of Hungarians protest against Pride ban law
-
GM leads first quarter US auto sales as tariffs loom
-
Tesla sales tumble in Europe in the first quarter
-
No 'eye for an eye' approach to US tariffs: Mexico
-
NFL club owners back dynamic kickoffs, delay tush push vote
-
Trump 'perfecting' new tariffs as nervous world braces
-
Trump nominee says to press UK on Israel arms
-
French court says Le Pen appeal ruling could come before presidential vote
-
The battle to control assets behind Bosnia crisis
-
Prabhsimran powers Punjab to IPL win over Lucknow
-
Mass layoffs targeting 10,000 jobs hit US health agencies
-
Tiger's April Foolishness: plan to play Masters just a joke
-
Myanmar quake toll passes 2,700, nation halts to honour victims
-
Turkish fans, artists urge Muse to cancel Istanbul gig
-
US seeks death penalty for accused killer of insurance CEO
-
UK govt moves to block sentencing guidelines for minority defendants
-
Trump puts world on edge as 'Liberation Day' tariffs loom

Natural pesticides gain ground in 'agri-tox' capital Brazil
Inspecting a thriving green field, Brazilian farmer Adriano Cruvinel is beaming: Using a fraction of the chemical products he used to, he is growing even more soy, thanks to natural pesticides.
Agricultural powerhouse Brazil may be the world leader in chemical pesticide use, but Cruvinel is part of a growing trend of farmers turning to natural products known as "biopesticides."
"Our soy is doing great," says the 36-year-old agricultural engineer, giving a tour of his 1,400-hectare (nearly 3,500-acre) farm in the central-western county of Montividiu, as combine harvesters work their way across a field.
"Thanks to the microorganisms we apply to the crop, it's a lot more resistant to pests and disease."
Brazil, the world's biggest exporter of soy, corn and cotton, is also the top consumer of chemical pesticides: nearly 720,000 metric tons in 2021, or one-fifth of global sales, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.
Seeking to improve his profits, in 2016 Cruvinel started transitioning toward so-called "regenerative" agriculture.
The technique seeks to restore the soil's biodiversity, replacing chemical fertilizers and pesticides with natural alternatives.
He still uses genetically modified soy, widespread in Brazil. But near those fields he built an ultra-modern laboratory and factory.
Inside, refrigerators conserve fungi and bacteria, some harvested from forestland on his farm.
He cultivates them en masse in vats, then uses them to treat his fields.
"Here, we imitate nature on a giant scale," says Cruvinel, who has replaced 76 percent of the chemical pesticides he formerly used with natural products.
The approach is good for health and the environment, but also business: His production costs have fallen by 61 percent, while his soy yields have risen by 13 percent, he says.
- 'Long way to go' -
Natural pesticides "could revolutionize Brazilian and global agriculture," says Marcos Rodrigues de Faria, a researcher at Embrapa, Brazil's public agricultural research agency.
But "there's a long way to go," he adds.
Brazil still relies heavily on chemical pesticides, known here as "agrotoxicos," or "agri-toxic" products.
Natural products grew from four percent of total pesticide sales in Brazil in 2020 to nine percent in 2022.
Their use has expanded four times faster in Brazil than internationally, says Amalia Borsari, of CropLife Brasil, an organization representing the agricultural chemicals industry.
"There has been exponential growth," she says.
Geographer Larissa Bombardi, an expert on pesticide use in Brazil, calls the trend "interesting."
But she says it is not yet changing Brazil's dominant model of massive, land-intensive mono-crop agriculture, which leaves little room for small-scale producers or more environmentally friendly practices.
"The surface area of land under cultivation in Brazil increased by 29 percent from 2010 to 2019, while pesticide use increased by 78 percent," she says.
- 'Gift to agribusiness' -
The agribusiness sector accounts for nearly a quarter of Latin America's biggest economy, making the pesticide debate politically charged.
After a long standoff with Congress, where agribusiness interests are a powerful force, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a bill into law in December softening regulations on agricultural chemicals.
The veteran leftist used his line-item veto to block some controversial aspects of the bill. But the final text significantly lowered the bar for regulatory approval of new pesticides, drawing scathing criticism from environmentalists.
Chemicals that can cause cancer and mutations or harm the environment are no longer automatically banned -- only those found to represent an "unacceptable risk."
Bombardi calls the law a "tragedy" and "a gift to the agribusiness and agricultural chemicals industries."
The stakes go beyond Brazil.
The country's massive use of pesticides is one of the main objections voiced by opponents of a landmark trade deal between the European Union and South American bloc Mercosur, in which Brazil is the biggest player.
S.F.Warren--AMWN