Pesticide contamination is a global issue, affecting
nearly 44%
of the global farming population, and disproportionately affecting
farmers and agricultural workers in developing countries. Despite
this, global pesticide usage is on the rise, with the growing demand
of global food production with increasing population. Different types
of porous materials, such as carbon and zeolites, have been explored
for the remediation of pesticides from the environment. However, there
are some limitations with these materials, especially due to lack
of functional groups and relatively modest surface areas. In this
regard, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) provide us with a better
alternative to conventionally used porous materials due to their versatile
and highly porous structure. Recently, a number of MOFs have been
studied for the extraction of pesticides from the environment as well
as for targeted and controlled release of agrochemicals. Different
types of pesticides and conditions have been investigated, and MOFs
have proved their potential in agricultural applications. In this
review, the latest studies on delivery and extraction of pesticides
using MOFs are systematically reviewed, along with some recent studies
on greener ways of pest control through the slow release of chemical
compounds from MOF composites. Finally, we present our insights into
the key issues concerning the development and translational applications
of using MOFs for targeted delivery and pesticide control.