Pesticides have been used for a long time in agriculture to prevent the growth of undesired organisms. However, depending on the type of production (i.e., conventional, organic, and regenerative), they might not be applied. Adequate types and uses of pesticides should not cause any damage to any non-target species or environments due to the exposure to it, especially if all farming operations have been done properly. Reversely, when pesticides are applied in inappropriate time, amount or technique, they may cause several impacts, among which is water contamination. Brazil stands out worldwide for its agricultural potential, but it is exposed to risks concerning the water supply security to its population. The current study is a comparison of the Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPC) for pesticides in potable water supply in Brazil with the values set in the United States, Canada, European Union countries, Japan, and the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. The regulations of each country were used, as well as the trading, consumption and agricultural production data. The Brazilian regulation is the one accounting for the largest number of pesticides. However, their MPC is 5,000 times more permissible than that from the European Union for the herbicide known as glyphosate, 300 times than that for 2,4-d and 20 times than that for atrazine. Finally, it was possible to observe the relevance of revising the regulation and public policies in place to minimize the indiscriminate use of pesticides in Brazil and adapt these compounds to the standards in a global level.

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with adopting technologies promoting soil conservation in Brazilian family farming in 2017. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to identify these factors to achieve this aim, with the territorial unit of analysis being the 558 Brazilian microregions delineated by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in 2017. The adoption of soil conservation technologies by Brazilian family farming represents a multidimensional phenomenon, which is positively influenced by factors within the socioeconomic context (including access to technical assistance services and credit facilities, as well as participation in collective farmer organizations), as well as characteristics of rural properties (such as water availability and the presence of productive machinery and equipment) and the education level of the farmer. It was observed that adopting such technologies has the potential to contribute to an increase in the country’s Gross Production Value (GPV) of family farmers. The primary theoretical contribution of this study lies in validating factors associated with adopting soil conservation technologies within Brazilian family farming and the importance of family farmers’ participation in collective organizations (cooperatives, technical meetings, and seminars) to access technical assistance and credit services. Furthermore, the practical implications suggest the need for specific public policies, including the establishment of cooperatives and the organization of technical meetings and seminars nationwide, the conservation and preservation of springs and water bodies in rural areas, and the provision of dedicated credit lines for the acquisition of machinery and equipment by family farmers.