El Costo Humano de los Agrotóxicos (The human cost of pesticides) is the photographic reportage by Pablo Ernesto Piovano that aims to break the silence on the effects of the ever-increasing use of pesticides, including glyphosate. Piovano, an Argentine photographer, travelled throughout his country to document the effects these chemical substances have on people. The result is a series of powerful and moving images. Now his work has been turned into a book, published by Kehrer Verlag, one of the most important photography book publishers in the world.

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We spoke with Pablo Ernesto Piovano, who told us the story of his work and how it developed.

How did the idea for the book come about?
The idea came about after I held an exhibition in Arles, France, with the Manuel Rivera-Ortiz foundation for documentary photography and film. There, the owner of the publishing magazine Klaus saw my work and had the idea of making a book. We have now presented it and it will be distributed in Europe and the United States. What I will try to do is bring it to Latin America, especially Argentina, so that my work has meaning there too.

What does the book tell?
This book is the summary of three years of work, of the 15,000 kilometres I travelled throughout Argentina, speaking and meeting the victims and anyone who has been affected by pesticides.

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What impact do you think the book is having and will have beyond the affected areas?
I think that in a certain sense my work has had more success in Europe in terms of publications in media outlets and newspapers. On the other hand, as far as exhibitions are concerned, I think it has spread more in Argentina. One example is a major exhibition I held in Cordoba, which is one of the areas that most strongly resists these issues. Indeed, Cordoba was home to the largest Monsanto plant in South America, which was however blocked for three years by activists and Monsanto was forced to leave. Groups and organisations of mothers, whose children fell ill or even died, also formed and began organising resistance in those areas where soya monoculture is prevalent and pesticide use is massive. For this reason I believe Cordoba is a good place to exhibit my work — it is an impact zone.

You dedicated the book to Fabián Tomasi, one of the subjects of your photographs who also became a close friend.
Yes, it was the last thing I wrote. I was looking for an epilogue and I was thinking of opening the book with a poem, a short phrase, that conveyed something about the land. There were just a few days left before the book closed and Fabián wrote to me. At the end of our conversation he said: "Never forget me, brother." At first I hadn't realised, but the next day I woke up and understood that it was the perfect epilogue for my book. In the end, a book preserves memory. Much like photography, books safeguard the memory of places and events. It seemed perfect to me. And I believe it can also be a kind of redemption for my brother, Fabián, who fought so hard. It's like a tribute to his struggle, and to his life.

How is Fabián?
He's as fragile as ever, but his mind is clearer and clearer. His body tells one story, but his feelings, his way of thinking and of pressing forward say something else entirely. His spirit stands in opposition to his body — he has so much strength and power.

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The book will also be presented in Italy at the Festival della fotografia etica in Lodi, running from 7 to 29 October 2017.