As Bangladeshi farmers carry baskets of eggplant, leafy red amaranth, cucumbers and squash from their fields to be packaged at a local vegetable processing center, they also bring the satisfaction of providing healthy, pesticide-free food to their customers.

These farmers have chosen to learn to farm with natural pest control instead of synthetic pesticides. They have seen the negative effects of long-term use, abuse and overuse of pesticides on the health of farmers, consumers and the environment.

“We like to be healthy,” said Kabir Hossain, who brought olives and ribbed gourds to the center. “We would like to save our environment.”

He added that too many farmers harm the environment with pesticides that pollute the soil, water and air.

Farmers in the area, especially those who wear no protective gear when spraying pesticides, report eye irritation and burning, respiratory concerns, stomach acidity and renal problems. Customers can be affected by food that contains too much pesticide, including vegetables sprayed on the same day they are sold at market.

Farmers operate on such a thin profit margin that they can’t afford to lose any crops to pests, said Jahangir Alam, Mennonite Central Committee program officer. Also, about half the farmers can’t read pesticide application instructions. They rely on the explanations of pesticides retailers, who benefit financially from its overuse.

Hossain is one of 700 farmers growing pesticide-free or “safe food,” as it is commonly called. They use farming techniques they learned from MCC’s development partners Grameen Unnayan Prokalpo and Pollee Unnayon Prokolpo, or GUP and PUP. MCC’s agricultural experts in Bangladesh train GUP and PUP staff on these techniques, known as integrated crop management.

MCC support for development projects like this is based in its faith, said Gregory Vanderbilt, representative for MCC in Bangladesh.

“Grounded in the unconditional love for God and for our neighbors, our faith motivates us to support development projects that accompany justice, equity and peace,” he said.

Pup and GUP OFFER training sessions and demonstration plots where farmers can see techniques in action and learn how to use them. Farmers then show their neighbors they can make a living growing safe vegetables.

“I observe that pesticide means . . . you are destroying everything,” said farmer Abdul Mojid, who knows of three people who collapsed while spraying pesticides. “I know that without pesticides, I am able to produce the crops. That’s why I stopped using the pesticides.”

Cost saving is an important advantage of farming without chemicals, said Arefur Rahaman, MCC food security and livelihoods coordinator. For one-third acre of land, Mojid would spend $211 to $254 a year on pesticides. But to buy pheromone and sticky traps, he spends only $42 a year.

Farming without pesticides works best when multiple farmers in a community do it. If everyone avoids pesticides, the number of harmful insects will decrease, and useful insects will rebound.

Although farmers report a yield similar to what they would get with pesticides, marketing is a challenge because many customers don’t understand the value of safe vegetables. With MCC support, both organizations are trying marketing approaches and community education projects to raise awareness of the health benefits.

Mojid will continue farming without pesticides because of the long-term benefits.

“Maybe it can give you more money sometimes,” he said. “Usually, I don’t care about the money. I only care about the environment and health.”