Glyphosate : the fragile power behind Argentina's soy complex

Abstract

The safe use narrative remains a powerful tool for the pesticide industry to keep their products on the market. The narrative claims misuse stems from underdevelopment; framing these pesticide (mis)users and farmers as ignorant, undereducated, undertrained and under-equipped, placing the burden of the problem on individuals. It proposes solutions by framing pesticide users as self-interested, economically rational actors who will correct their choices when educated to the dangers and trained in safe use of the industry’s product. The narrative places the burden on the user rather than the industry or product and overly-simplifies the decision making process of people using pesticides. This paper applies Ryan Galt’s theory of complex subjectivities as a reconceptualization of aforementioned analysis of pesticide users. This approach theorizes that pesticide users’ choices are a product of a multitude of complex influences to reframe how we address pesticide problems. To operationalize this theory, this study uses data from semi-structured interviews with small and medium Argentine soy farmers. The findings illustrate that pesticide problems are not a case of individual misuse but rather are a function of the political and economic history of Argentina culminating in the current agrarian model of production. The holistic approach to pesticide users’ choices reveals that reviewing pesticide risks also warrant a holistic approach.