The spatio-temporal dynamics of pesticide use: a global exploratory analysis

We utilize exploratory techniques to identify patterns in pesticide use spatial and temporal dimensions. Using data on 149 countries from 1993 to 2020, we find that some countries with low pesticide use are “catching-up” slightly. From a Markov chain analysis, we also note that the distribution of pesticide use per hectare is characterized by a low inter-class mobility, more pronounced in the head and tail of the distribution. This suggests a lock-in phenomenon once “unsustainable” agricultural systems are adopted. We complement this temporal analysis by exploring the role of “proximity” between countries in the use of pesticides and its dynamics. Three definitions of proximity are considered. The first is geographical, the second and third are based on crops produced at the country level and on countries’ GDP per capita respectively. Our results suggest that countries’ economic development explains more pesticide use than their geographic proximity or their crop similarity.