Abstract:
National Pesticide Use Database
The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) National Pesticide Use Database was issued in 1995 to provide comprehensive national and state level pesticide use data, circa 1992. In 2000, NCFAP released an update to the National Pesticide Use Database providing data circa 1997. Combined, the 1992 and 1997 databases include 20,886 individual records that quantify the use of 235 active ingredients on 87 crops in the 48 contiguous states. Two reports accompany the 1997 update to the National Pesticide Use Database. Pesticide Use in U.S. Crop Production: 1997 National Summary Report summarizes the 1997 pesticide use data and provides discussion of the database parameters, construction, compilation, and review, as well as a complete list of data sources and references Trends in Pesticide Use: Comparing 1992 and 1997 provides analysis and explanation of the changes in pesticide use between 1992 and 1997 that appear in the National Pesticide Use Database. It is strongly recommended that any user of the National Pesticide Use Database review these reports.
Supplemental_Information:
The NCFAP National Pesticide Use Database is a compilation of records from a wide variety of sources. There is no way to determine the accuracy of any of the estimates in the database. Some of the estimates are based on surveys of farmers; others are expert opinions from knowledgeable extension service specialists. Because of the absence of data for many states and crops, many records have been assigned based on the data from a nearby state. It is unclear as to how accurate this procedure is. No claims of statistical accuracy are made with regard to the NCFAP national pesticide use database.
The NCFAP database is limited to cropland uses of pesticides. Seed treatments, greenhouse uses, ornamental uses, livestock uses, postharvest uses, rodenticides, and animal repellants are not included. The active ingredient Bt is not estimated in terms of pounds of use. The only usage parameter included for Bt is acres treated.
Although 1992 and 1997 are benchmark years for the database, the data for these years are derived from use estimates made between 1990 to 1993 and 1994 to 1998, respectively. The NCFAP databases are more accurately described as circa 1992 and circa 1997. Users are advised to read the report Pesticide Use in U.S. Crop Production: 1997, which describes how the database was compiled and identifies the references that were used as the source for each record in the database.