Shot in the Philippines and Thailand, this film shows why farmers are losing the battle against the pests. Pesticides can cause serious damage to human health and to the environment and can even encourage the pests theyare supposed to kill. The promotional efforts of the manufacturers and government price subsidies have encouraged Asian farmers to use more pesticides – sometimes more than they need to. For small farmers cropyields may increase in the short term but, the high cost – to both humans and their environment – has often left them worse off. PROFITS FROM POISON examines traditional farming techniques used to control pests without the use of pesticides. (1988)