Economic development and pesticide use in EU agriculture

Recent publications by the Food and Agriculture Organization show the growing concern about the use of pesticides and the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices. This study examines the relationship between economic development and pesticide use in the European Union (EU) within the framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) using a dynamic panel approach with the Arellano-Bond Generalized Method of Moments. The analysis of data from 26 EU Member States over a 20-year period confirms the EKC hypothesis: pesticide use initially increases with economic development, reaches a turning point at a Human Development Index of 0.865, and then decreases as human development progresses. Key determinants include education, investment in research and development, agricultural income and foreign direct investment. Our results confirm this relationship and underline the importance of policy interventions. Stricter enforcement of regulations, including pesticide reduction targets, and advances in agricultural technology are essential to accelerate the transition to less reliance on pesticides. In line with EU strategies such as the Farm to Fork initiative, this study emphasizes the role of human development, particularly education, but also the design of effective institutional mechanisms to reduce dependence on pesticides and reconcile economic progress with environmental sustainability.