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Pesticide risk has been increasing on agricultural lands in Canada, although the majority of agricultural land is still considered to be at low or very low risk. From 1981 to 2011, the level of risk increased on 50% of agricultural land, primarily due to an increase in the area treated with pesticides and to unusually wet weather in the Maritimes and the Prairies in 2010.
Use the interactive map below to zoom in and explore different regions. Note that in the Prairies, risk is considered to be low. While this region has the highest percentage of agricultural land treated with herbicides and fungicides, the dry Prairie climate means that there are fewer days with runoff and fewer pesticide applications per year. Most of the areas at very high risk, representing 7% of cropland, are located in Prince Edward Island, the Mixedwood Plains regions of Ontario and Quebec, the Red River region of Manitoba, the Parkland region of Alberta, and the Lower Fraser River Valley region of British Columbia.
In addition to exploring the 2011 values, click the play button to view changes over time. From 2006 to 2011 there has been a significant increase in risk, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, with isolated pockets of higher risk appearing in Alberta, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.
Generally speaking, the increases in risk observed in between 2006 and 2011 were caused by an increase in the area treated with pesticides; in Eastern Canada and the Maritimes, this can be attributed to shifts from pasture and forage production to annual cropping systems, and in the Prairies to ongoing shifts from conventional tillage to reduced tillage and no-till systems, which require greater herbicide use for weed control. Between 2006 and 2011, there was a marked increase in the use of fungicides in the Prairies (from 3.7% to 7.5% of the land area) which can be attributed to wetter-than-usual weather in 2010, as well the shift to reduced tillage systems, both of which increase the risk of fungal diseases such as fusarium blight. Another factor that may have contributed to the increase in pesticide use per unit cropland in recent years is the expansion of land devoted to glyphosate-tolerant canola, soybeans and corn and the mass of glyphosate herbicide applied in these systems.
Use the interactive map below to zoom in and explore different regions. Note that in the Prairies, risk is considered to be low. While this region has the highest percentage of agricultural land treated with herbicides and fungicides, the dry Prairie climate means that there are fewer days with runoff and fewer pesticide applications per year. Most of the areas at very high risk, representing 7% of cropland, are located in Prince Edward Island, the Mixedwood Plains regions of Ontario and Quebec, the Red River region of Manitoba, the Parkland region of Alberta, and the Lower Fraser River Valley region of British Columbia.
In addition to exploring the 2011 values, click the play button to view changes over time. From 2006 to 2011 there has been a significant increase in risk, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, with isolated pockets of higher risk appearing in Alberta, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.
Generally speaking, the increases in risk observed in between 2006 and 2011 were caused by an increase in the area treated with pesticides; in Eastern Canada and the Maritimes, this can be attributed to shifts from pasture and forage production to annual cropping systems, and in the Prairies to ongoing shifts from conventional tillage to reduced tillage and no-till systems, which require greater herbicide use for weed control. Between 2006 and 2011, there was a marked increase in the use of fungicides in the Prairies (from 3.7% to 7.5% of the land area) which can be attributed to wetter-than-usual weather in 2010, as well the shift to reduced tillage systems, both of which increase the risk of fungal diseases such as fusarium blight. Another factor that may have contributed to the increase in pesticide use per unit cropland in recent years is the expansion of land devoted to glyphosate-tolerant canola, soybeans and corn and the mass of glyphosate herbicide applied in these systems.
Summary
The Pesticides Indicator evaluates the relative risk of water contamination by pesticides across agricultural areas in Canada
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