You've probably heard of pesticides, but do you know why we use them and how they impact our environment? The global agricultural industry has grown dependent on two types of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides. While fertilizers help to make crops more productive, pesticides are used to protect crops from pests, weeds and diseases. Today, our food system relies on pesticides as a means to generate higher yields, save on labour costs and reduce the risk associated with growing crops that are vulnerable to disease and destruction. But has it always been this way? Humans have been using pesticides in farming for centuries. Ancient societies use naturally-occurring substances like sulphur and medieval farmers experimented with toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and lead. But it wasn't until the early 1900s that the age of pesticides truly began. In 1939, the insecticide DDT was discovered by Swiss scientist Paul Muller, being extremely effective at killing agricultural and disease-carrying insects, cheap and easy to mass produce. DDT quickly became the most widely used insecticide in the world. It was used during World War II to safeguard food production and helped to eradicate malaria from much of Europe and the US. However, it became clear after decades of liberal and regulated application that DDT was accumulating in the food chain, raising serious concerns about its impact on human and animal health. DDT was subsequently severely restricted around the world, but a reliance on pesticides had been created in the agricultural industry. Since 1990, global pesticides use has increased by 57% and has plateaued in the last 10 years. Unfortunately, modern pesticides also come with high costs. Pesticides can deteriorate the environment in the long term, contaminating groundwater, soil and its fertility and even the air. They can also harm other beneficial soil organisms such as bees. The toxic chemicals in many pesticides is contributing to declining populations of these critical pollinators, with almost one in 10 of Europe's bees now threatened with extinction. And it's not just our environment facing repercussions. Pesticide use comes with high social costs as well, such as health implications for farmer workers regularly exposed to these toxic chemicals. Here are a few ways we can reduce the negative impact of pesticides. Number one, using less pesticides. A recent study of 946 arable farms across France found that for the majority of farms reducing pesticides use by 42% on average has zero effect on productivity or profitability, showing that pesticide reduction is already a possibility for many farmers. Two, using the system of integrated pest management, IPM. IPM in practice could mean growing pest resistant crop varieties, using predatory insects to deter crop eating pests, and eliminating pest nesting areas, which minimises the need and use of pesticides. Many of these actions require more on-farm research, time and resources, and with farmers facing pressure to keep food prices down, it's no wonder many find it hard to transition to more sustainable practices. Shifting to a more sustainable food system means that we need to work together with farmers to put these ideas into action. Subscribe to Food Unfolded to learn more about the origins and sustainability of your food.