The solution: farming without harmful pesticides
Reducing pesticide use isn’t about quick fixes or swapping one chemical for another. It’s about changing the farming systems that make pesticides the default. From organic farming and agroecology to better policy and support for farmers, there are proven ways to grow food that protect health, wildlife and the environment.
On this page
On this page
The government knows it must act on pesticides. We need to pile on the pressure to make government prioritise actions that benefit nature and the planet.
How can farmers make a difference?
As with most scenarios, those closest to the problem often have the solutions. And reducing our dependence of pesticides is no different.
Farmers can make an immediate and lasting difference to our environment and health by taking an agroecological approach to the way they farm.
This system of farming seeks to understand the relationship and balance that exists between us and nature, and use this understanding in day-to-day practices. This method can not only feed the population without relying on pesticides, but also tackles the growing issues of climate impacts and wildlife decline. A good example of agroecology is agroforestry.
Moreover, thousands of organic farmers show you can already farm profitably without pesticides.
Through Innovative Farmers, part of the Duchy Future Farming Programme, we are helping them and other farmers find even better ways of doing this.
This isn't simply about substituting other tools, like biological controls. It is also about developing more diverse farming systems, for example, bringing different crops and even trees into farms.
How you can make a difference
There are lots of ways that your individual actions can support this work.
Sign our petition
Cut the chemicals from our food and fields
Glyphosate sprayed on crops just before harvest leaves residues in our food and harms nature. Sign our petition calling on the UK government to ban this practice, as the EU already has.
Donate
Donate to Soil Association and help us in the fight against pesticides.
Look for the symbol
Soil Association-certified foods are produced in a nature-friendly way that's better for wildlife. Buying products we’ve certified helps allow bees, birds and beetles to thrive.
Plant wildflowers
Do you have a garden? A window box? Plant flowers that are pollinator favourites, and help our bees and butterflies make a comeback after the neonics ban. Ask at your garden centre for seeds that haven’t been pre-treated, and avoid using pesticides for pest control in your garden.
Don’t use glyphosate at home
Say no to glyphosate-containing products, like Roundup, when caring for your garden.
Ask your council
Speak to your local council to stop using glyphosate and other pesticides to control weeds.
Why support our work?
Reducing pesticide use requires more than banning individual chemicals. It means changing the farming systems, policies and practices that make pesticides the default. Your support helps us drive change at every level, from government policy to what happens on farms and in our food system.
Influencing government decisions on pesticide use
A fundamental shift in farming is needed to move away from reliance on pesticides and towards approaches such as organic farming and agroforestry.
We know this change is possible. Evidence shows that high-quality food can be produced without synthetic pesticides.
Your support helps ensure that bans on individual chemicals, such as neonicotinoids or glyphosate, are treated as steps towards pesticide-free farming, not as the end of the problem.
Driving system-wide policy change
Lasting change requires action at scale.
With your support, we can:
- make the case for organic farming to be at the heart of future farm support policies, dramatically reducing pesticide use
- campaign for stronger pesticide controls beyond the EU and challenge the influence of agrochemical lobbying
- push for a more robust and transparent pesticide approval process
- oppose trade deals that risk weakening protections against toxic pesticides
Changing things on the ground
Policy change must be matched by practical action.
Your support helps us:
- campaign for improvements to the government’s school fruit and vegetable scheme, which currently contains higher pesticide residues than supermarket produce
- deliver practical work that supports farmers to adopt non-chemical methods of pest and weed control
Together, we can protect the millions of bees, butterflies, birds, and animals at risk of disappearing from our fields and hedgerows forever.
Support our work to reduce pesticide use
Your support helps us challenge harmful pesticide use and push for healthier food and farming.