Papas, plaguicidas y personas (potatoes, pesticides and people) : the Farmer Field School Methodology and Human Health in Ecuador
Date
2007-04
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Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, CA
Abstract
In potato-producing regions of Ecuador, the potato is an important crop and the
foundation of the Andean diet. Modernization of potato production is strongly linked to
intensive use of pesticides. Environmental and human health problems are common
consequences.
The Ecosalud research-intervention project intends to use the Farmer Field School
(FFS) methodology as an intervention strategy to improve the sustainability of
agricultural systems by reducing health risks and promoting health benefits. This research
set out to determine whether the FFS is an appropriate methodology for achieving the
human health goals of the Ecosalud project in the context of Ecuador.
Field studies of three FFS in the province of Chimborazo demonstrated that
effectiveness is dependent on both the context and the way in which Field Schools are
used. The issues and tensions highlighted in these cases might be extended to contexts
beyond Ecuador - where development agendas are torn between objectives to achieve
sustainability for the environment and for humans, and objectives directed at ensuring
that small-scale farmers are able to enter markets and compete in an ever-globalizing
world.
The thesis concludes that in order to fulfill its goals to end the reliance on
pesticides and improve human health through use of the Farmer Field School
methodology, Ecosalud will need to be strategic in partner alliances and intentional in
cultivating a culture of cooperation between institutional actors with diverging interests
and philosophies. Above all, stakeholders must work to ensure that project goals are not
undermined by competing objectives which place economic profit before the health of
people.
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Keywords
HUMAN HEALTH, PESTICIDE TOXICITY, POTATOES, ON-FARM RESEARCH, AGRONOMY, ANDEAN REGION, SMALLHOLDERS, ECOSYSTEMS, ACCESS TO MARKETS, AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION, AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION, ECUADOR--CHIMBORAZO