With the advancement of science and technology, we’ve made many improvements in several different fields, including agriculture. With the help of science, we’re able to grow a variety of crops, but how are we able to do this? We use pesticides to ward off different types of pests so we can continue to grow these crops. But are these chemicals really helping us?

Although pesticides are able to keep pests away, in many ways they’re actually harming the crops and environment. According to NCBI, “Pesticides can contaminate soil, water, turf, and other vegetation. In addition to killing insects or weeds, pesticides can be toxic to a host of other organisms including birds, fish, beneficial insects, and non-target plants.”

That’s just one of the many harmful effects of pesticides. Not only do they affect the environment, but they also affect humans. PesticideForm states that pesticides can cause many acute effects such as stinging eyes, rashes, blisters, blindness, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea and death. Chronic effects include cancers, birth defects, reproductive harm, immunotoxicity, neurological and developmental toxicity, and disruption of the endocrine system.

To avoid pesticides, we can use alternatives. Saanich lists many good alternatives that range from cultural, biological or mechanical techniques. They suggest companion planting, using nematodes and ladybugs, and crushing eggshells and oyster shells to create a barrier for pests such as slugs and snails.

We can also avoid pesticides by purchasing organic produce instead, MayoClinic states that “compared with produce grown using usual (conventional) methods, organically grown produce has lower levels of pesticide residue.”

The next time you decide to plant something or go grocery shopping for fruits and vegetables, keep these alternatives in mind, even the littlest things we do to avoid pesticides keep us safer from being exposed to them.