The Tiwasa Declaration

First Annual General Meeting of Maharashtra Association of Pesticide Poisoned Persons (MAPPP)

3rdDecember 2019 No pesticide Use day

Tiwasa Declaration

We met on 3rd December 2019 at Tiwasa (Yavatmal), Maharasthtra on No Pesticide Use Day. Pesticide poisoning is impacting on our lives, families, agriculture, soil and ecology. Our experience and the discussions, we commit ourselves to the following:
  1. We realize that modern agriculture, in the past, now and in future, has the potential to destroy our lives and nature. We need to review all agricultural policies.
  2. Deep and widespread threat of toxicity to water, soil, food and our own bodies due to pesticide spraying is a serious cause of concern.
  3. Because of pesticides, several species are lost and loss of biodiversity is now a continuous phenomena. Our natural food sources are destroyed.
  4. People, civil society, Indian government and international institutions have to come together and take up actions and programmes.
  5. Conservation of biodiversity, air, water, soil, ecology and our living atmosphere is critical.
  6. We call upon national government and also State governments of Maharashtra to prepare an action plan for phasing out all toxic agrochemicals especially the highly hazardous pesticides.
  7. We appeal to the democratic institutions of India, including government, judiciary and media, to respond to the humanitarian crisis arising out of pesticide poisoning in rural areas of Maharashtra. Families are losing their livelihoods, independence to pursue their livelihoods and are being pushed under debt and disease burdens.
  8. We also realize that women and children are forced to bear the brunt. We call up on all concerned to ensure social security measures so that this pesticide burden should not push them into poverty and backwardness. Recovery of these men, women and children is essential in building sustainable India.
  9. We appeal to central government and all policymakers to create a National Toxic Fund (NTF) to facilitate relief to pesticide poisoned families and protection of ecology.
  10. All victims of pesticide poisoning (including farmers, farm workers and rural families) pledge ourselves to increase awareness, education, economic relief and action against toxic agrochemicals, through united efforts.
  11. Pesticide and Seed companies should take responsibility for the ecological impacts caused by their products.
  12. We demand Pesticide Regulation Law, which includes price control, more powers to State governments, compensation for farmers and Liability for the manufacturers.
  13. Government of India should comply with international standards and guidelines on pesticide regulation for protecting health of people and environment.