FARM: Strengthening investment for adoption of alternatives and sustainable management of agrochemicals and agriplastics in Africa and Latin America through pilots in Kenya and Uruguay Reduce the use and prevalence of harmful agrochemicals by supporting farmers to access finance, innovative practices, and markets required to incentivize sustainable practices. Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. As outlined in the global environmental problem section, pesticide and plastic emissions and residues have a negative impact on soil quality, populations of natural predators etc. This has an impact on seed germination, plant growth and animal health. These negative consequences of pesticides and plastics reduce the productivity and resilience of the farming system to existing pests and the growing impact of climate change. A robust ecosystem is more resilient to climate change due to higher levels of biodiversity.[1] Farmers are already increasing the number of times they spray per cropping cycle and the concentration of active ingredient applied because of growing resistance in the pests and the loss of natural predators. Replacing HHPs with less toxic and more selective pesticides and non-chemical options will allow natural predators to thrive which combined with other integrated pest management practices will reduce the impact of pests on yields. Reducing micro and macro plastic pollution that could contaminate soils before it becomes a problem will allow farmers in Uruguay and Kenya to avoid the problems of reduced germination and plant growth that are starting to be seen in Asia.    The project environmental results will also directly benefit health. Reducing the exposure of farmers and their families to HHPs will reduce the incidence of accidental poisoning and the subsequent loss of labor and the cost of treatment for farming families. Reducing residues of HHPs on food produce will reduce the incidence of accidental poisoning amongst consumers, whilst there is no statistic on this problem available in Uruguay or Kenya this is due to lack of data on this issue, as academic studies in both countries have found pesticide residues that exceed accepted residue levels. HHPs have been associated with suicides in rural communities in Asia and banning HHPs has been correlated to reductions in the number of suicides (see baseline). Whilst research in this issue has not been carried out in Kenya and Uruguay, there is a probability that HHPs contribute to the number of suicides in these countries.    Finally, alternative pest and crop management approaches can bring economic benefits for farmers. Pesticides and agricultural plastics are expensive inputs for farmers, and the disposal of hazardous waste is another expense that needs to be borne either by manufacturers, importers, or farmers. At the farm level, reducing the number of pesticides and plastics used is potentially a way to improve margins on crops, providing yields can be maintained, whilst removing the possibility of accidental poisoning reduced the associated health care costs. At the national level, reducing the use of HHPs reduced the risk of accidental poisoning for both farmers and consumers and the cost imposed on the public health system. Elimination of HHPs also eliminates the risk that export crops are rejected by importing countries that have strict phytosanitary requirements and robust testing regimes.           [1] https://www.fao.org/agroecology/knowledge/10-elements/balance/en/