What’s Being Sprayed on Armenia’s Farms? New Study Looks at Pesticide Risks

Photo: Giorgio Giombi / Pexels

As Armenia prepares to host the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP17), a new study will bring attention to pesticide use in the country's agricultural sector and the risks faced by farmworkers.

The findings will be presented October 20 in Yerevan by the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia, which conducted the research with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's Armenia office and the JUSTUS Research and Consulting Foundation.

The study examines how pesticides are used in Armenian agriculture, the dangers they pose to workers and the measures needed to improve workplace safety. It also outlines how trade unions can help shape government policies on agriculture and environmental protection.

Researchers will present their findings and discuss ways to reduce pesticide-related risks while protecting the health and rights of agricultural workers.

The initiative is linked to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, an international agreement that calls for reducing the overall risks from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least 50% by 2030.

The presentation comes as Armenia hosts COP17 from October 19 to 30, bringing governments, environmental organizations and researchers to Yerevan for international talks on biodiversity protection.

The study will also examine how trade unions can have a stronger voice in agricultural policymaking, with the aim of making farming safer for workers and less harmful to the environment.

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