Nepal has made significant strides in reducing suicide rates by implementing targeted bans on highly hazardous pesticides. The initiative, led by Dr. Rakesh Ghimire and other medical professionals, has resulted in a 30% decrease in reported deaths from pesticide poisoning between 2018 and 2023.
The problem of pesticide-related suicides is particularly acute in low and middle-income countries, where agricultural communities have easy access to these toxic substances. In Nepal, “plant medicines,” as locals call them, were implicated in about a third of suicide fatalities in 2018.
The turning point came in 2019 when Nepal banned eight highly toxic pesticides, followed by two more in July 2023. This decision was informed by research that identified which chemicals were most commonly used in poisoning deaths.
Dr. Dilli Ram Sharma, a former director general of the Department of Agriculture and member of Nepal’s pesticide regulatory board, played a crucial role in implementing these bans. He emphasized the importance of providing alternatives to farmers to ensure agricultural productivity wasn’t compromised.
The impact of these regulations extends beyond suicide prevention. Hazardous pesticides pose significant risks to human health and the environment, potentially causing cancers, developmental disorders, and long-term ecological damage.
While challenges remain, including enforcement in remote areas and cross-border smuggling from India, the initial results are promising. The World Health Organization has recognized pesticide regulation as a highly cost-effective suicide prevention measure in countries where pesticides account for at least 2% of suicides.
“This is the best thing I have done,” Dr. Ghimire said in an interview with The Telegraph, reflecting on his role in restricting access to pesticides and potentially saving thousands of lives.
Read the article by Sarah Newey in The Telegraph: How Nepal turned the tide on ‘pesticide poisoning’
Read the statement by the World Health Organization: Preventing suicide by phasing out highly hazardous pesticides
Learn more about toxic pesticides and efforts to ban them, from the University of Edinburgh Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention
Watch this video from the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention: