17
Nov
Damaging Ecosystem Effects from Pesticide and Fertilizer Mix Support Call for Organic Land Management
(Beyond Pesticides, November 17, 2025) Beyond Pesticides ramped up its campaign to transition parks, playing fields, and schoolyards to organic land management after the release of a study showing synergistic effects of glyphosate (Roundup) and urea fertilizers on earthworms and soil health. The organization’s network is asking Mayors nationwide to lead the transition, pointing to the inadequacy of the current system of regulating pesticides based on risk assessments of individual chemicals or individual chemical families. Chemicals interact, causing increased impacts on human, ecological health, and biodiversity. Moreover, humans, other species, and the biosphere rarely experience exposure to single chemicals or chemical families; exposure to multiple chemicals is the rule, not the exception.
Synergistic effects associated with the use of the weedkiller glyphosate have been implicated in several studies showing magnified adverse impact in soil organisms and in mixture with other chemicals:
- The extensive use of glyphosate is linked to effects on nontarget soil organisms, with the risks to soil ecosystems widely studied. (See here, here, here, here, and here.)
- One study shows that frequent application in tropical systems of glyphosate “reduced soil macroarthropod richness by 21% and altered community composition.
- “A recent global risk assessment of glyphosate further estimated that 67−93% of soils pose high risks to Collembola [springtails] and 43−67% pose medium to high risks to earthworms.” (See here.)
- Studies show that glyphosate combined with microplastics causes notable synergistic effects. (See research here and here.)
- “Co-exposure to polyethylene microplastics and glyphosate aggravates neuro-behavioral disorders, intestinal barrier injury, and gut microbiota imbalance.” (See here.)
- One study shows that urea co-exposure increases glyphosate and AMPA residues in soil.
- “[C]ommercial glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) contain surfactants, such as polyethoxylated tallow amines, which have been shown to amplify the risks associated with glyphosate.” (See here.)
However, all chemical classes threaten nontarget organisms and biodiversity. Studies demonstrating synergistic impacts of pesticide mixtures and combined exposure to pesticides and fertilizers or other chemicals indicate that preventing harm by regulating individual pesticides is not possible. Instead, we must recognize the dangers posed by synthetic petrochemicals—particularly those designed to kill (i.e., “-cides”)—and eliminate dependence on them.
Pesticide regulation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) has proved inadequate, even in addressing individual pesticides. With U.S. sales of organic products exceeding $71 billion in 2024 and still growing, consumers are increasingly voicing a preference for avoiding chemical exposures. While consumers can opt for organic food, states and localities tend to defer to EPA’s judgment in evaluating land management options, resulting in exposure to toxic chemical mixtures in parks, along highways, and in other public places—not only to humans, but to birds, pollinators, and other nontarget organisms.
To assist those engaging with their local elected officials and parks departments, Beyond Pesticides, through its Parks for a Sustainable Future program, offers technical support to transition parks to organic land management through analysis of soil health, development of a plan to improve soil biology to cycle nutrients for healthy plants, training of staff to implement the organic plan, and ongoing consultation for plan evaluation and adjustments when necessary. Organic systems focus on building organic matter and microbial life in the soil to solubilize nutrients for plant uptake, eliminating the use of petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides and increasing plant health, soil moisture retention, and resilience.
Through this program and with supporters, including the Parks for a Sustainable Future program, Beyond Pesticides assists local leaders in converting parks and recreational areas exclusively to organic practices. In August, as a part of a nationwide push to stop the use of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, the City of Excelsior, Minnesota, joined Kansas City, Missouri, and dozens of communities across the country to begin its organic transition of demonstration sites on city park land. In addition, Beyond Pesticides has worked with dozens of communities to adopt land management policies in jurisdictions of nearly every state in the country. The goal is to create models that show the viability and cost effectiveness of organic management systems that eliminate petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers that contribute to the current health crisis, biodiversity collapse, and the climate emergency.
Beyond Pesticides invites people nationwide to become a Parks Advocate and advises these actions:
- For communities that are part of a growing number number across the country that have taken action to protect people and the environment by adopting organic policies and practices in their public spaces, Beyond Pesticides urges residents to take this opportunity to thank community leaders. However, be aware that the pesticide industry is seeking to repeal these policies.
Example Message: Thank you so much for implementing pesticide-free, organic policies and practices in our parks and public places! I love to spend time in our parks, knowing that I will not be exposed to toxic chemicals. It is wonderful to know that our community’s children and pets will not be exposed to toxic chemicals in our parks. It is great to know that toxic chemicals will not run off from our public spaces into streams and other water. It is wonderful to know that flowers in our parks can provide nectar to pollinators who face so many threats these days. I thank you for supporting the health and environment of our community.
- For communities that have not yet taken action to protect its residents and environment by adopting organic policies and practices in public spaces, people can tell local officials how important this is. In the event that the mayor is not in the system and/or you receive an error message that reads “Please provide a valid residential address,” people can send a personalized email.
- Create pesticide-free yard space. Educate the community with a Beyond Pesticides “Pesticide Free Zone” Sign. Please share pictures of organic yards or local parks with Beyond Pesticides and explain why they are so important.
Letter to Mayor
A study showing synergistic effects of glyphosate and urea fertilizers on earthworms and soil health is the latest indicator of the inadequacy of the current system of regulating pesticides based on risk assessments of individual chemicals. Chemicals interact, causing increased impacts on human, ecological health, and biodiversity. Moreover, humans, other species, and the biosphere rarely experience exposure to single chemicals; exposure to multiple chemicals is the rule, not the exception.
Synergistic effects associated with the use of the weedkiller glyphosate have been implicated in several studies showing magnified adverse impact in soil organisms and in mixture with other chemicals. However, all chemical classes threaten nontarget organisms and biodiversity. Studies demonstrating synergistic impacts of pesticide mixtures and combined exposure to pesticides and fertilizers or other chemicals indicate that preventing harm by regulating individual pesticides is not possible. Instead, we must recognize the dangers posed by synthetic petrochemicals—particularly those designed to kill (i.e., “-cides”)—and eliminate dependence on them.
Pesticide regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) has proved inadequate, even in addressing individual pesticides. With U.S. sales of organic products exceeding $71 billion in 2024 and still growing, consumers are increasingly voicing a preference for avoiding chemical exposures. While consumers can opt for organic food, states and localities tend to defer to EPA’s judgment in evaluating land management options, resulting in exposure to toxic chemical mixtures in parks, along highways, and in other public places—not only to humans, but to birds, pollinators, and other nontarget organisms.
When I learned about how many communities protect their citizens and local environment by transitioning to organic landcare in parks and other public places (https://www.bp-dc.org/tools-for-change), I ask why we can’t do the same in our own community.
Pesticides used in parks, playing fields, and other public places threaten our health—especially that of our children, who are closer to the ground and have greater exposure. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers run off, finding their way to streams. They also threaten pollinators, who are at risk from multiple threats.
Communities no longer need to figure out how to do this alone. Beyond Pesticides’ Parks for a Sustainable Future (https://bp-dc.org/sustainable-parks-land-care-training) program aims to bridge the gaps resulting from staffing constraints and tight budgets, allowing communities to pilot the transition to organic land care on two public sites. I urge you to email (mailto:[email protected]) or call Beyond Pesticides at 202-543-5450 to get started.
Thank you.
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For an in-depth discussion of ecological land management, see the recording of the first session of The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions in Alignment with Nature. The Forum includes case studies on what is being done now to integrate nature into the food production system in ways that are beneficial to the organisms in the environment and the health and economy of the areas where they live. The speakers talk about their research and practical experience in identifying practices that embrace nature with a collaborative spirit and teach about the value of bats, birds, and beavers in productive agricultural and land management systems, exemplifying the path forward in all aspects of modern life. The costs of conventional agriculture, reliant on petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, have proven to be unsustainable, with incalculable trillions of dollars in present harm and future catastrophic losses, or externalities, associated with current toxic products and practices that are widely used, but unnecessary to productivity and quality of life. The focus of this Forum session calls for a reorientation, replacing toxic practices with the nurturing of natural systems that sustain life.
Sign up for free for Session 2 of the Forum, scheduled for December 4.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
