THE MATH BEHIND:

Pesticides in food were eradicated 15 years ago.

Overview

Imagine walking into a grocery store today and never worrying about pesticides on your food. That’s the reality we’d be living in if women had held equal economic and political power starting in 1925.

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With equal access to agricultural resources, women farmers, who adopt sustainable practices 17–22% more often, would have reshaped farming decades earlier. Female scientists, who publish 53% more research on organic alternatives, would have accelerated innovation by over 40 years if given equal funding. And in government, women legislators, who historically sponsor environmental protection bills at 62% higher rates would have pushed through pesticide bans a generation sooner.

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The combined force of women’s leadership in science, farming, and policy would have completely phased out synthetic pesticides by 2009. In this alternate timeline, pesticides on food became history 15 years ago.

Reality data points that informed the research

Women scientists publish 53% more research on organic alternatives.

31-42

Women allocate 31–42% more resources to environmental health.

Women are 43% of the global agricultural workforce.

Women receive just 5% of agricultural extension services.

Women receive only 10% of agricultural research funding.

17-22

Women adopt sustainable farming practices 17–22% more often.

Women legislators sponsor 62% more environmental bills.

Events that led up to it

1925

Alternate reality begins

In this experiment, we went back 100 years and made women and men equal in the economy. Key changes included making women 50% of company executives, 50% of stock market investors, 50% of the startup founders getting funded, and 50% of financial decision makers at home.

1930s

Women-led research funding begins

Equal investment in women agricultural scientists accelerates the development of organic alternatives.

1940s

Farming practices shift

With women farmers in leadership, sustainable and regenerative methods spread widely.

1960s

Political protection takes root

Female legislators introduce and pass environmental protections decades earlier than in our reality.

1975

Organic farming goes mainstream

Organic farming goes mainstream
Early global adoption of organic and regenerative farming begins, reshaping food systems.

1990s

Synthetic pesticides in decline

Strong policy and consumer demand drive down pesticide use across global agriculture.

2009

Pesticides eradicated

Agriculture fully transitions to organic and sustainable practices — pesticides on food disappear.