Pesticides in the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna): Popular surveillance as a monitoring strategy in vulnerable territories

Abstract

Pesticide contamination in Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) communities has intensified due to the agribusiness production model, compromising both human health and the environment health. This study aimed to describe the participatory methodological strategies used to monitor environmental contamination and human exposure to pesticides in seven Brazilian states within the Cerrado biome. It is a participatory action research conducted in Bahia, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Piauí, and Tocantins, involving water sampling and participatory mapping conducted by community leaders and social movements between 2022 and 2023. To support field activities, formative workshops were held, including training of field teams, the development and implementation of protocols, sample collection, and participatory territorial mapping. A total of 187 water samples were collected and six participatory mapping workshops were conducted. Participatory surveillance revealed socio-environmental problems, strengthened community autonomy, and fostered political mobilization, contributing to the formal denunciation and recognition of the crime of ecocide in the Cerrado by the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal. By integrating scientific and traditional knowledge, participatory approaches enable the development of context-specific solutions and prove to be more effective than conventional surveillance strategies.