Impact of - IDL-BNC @ IDRC - International Development Research ...

also require specialized knowledge and technical skills in first aid and in the
registration and referral of pesticide-intoxicated patients.
At a higher level, state institutions and private doctors involved in the control
and treatment of pesticide intoxication must receive training and be sensitized
to the purpose and goals of a monitoring program. Technicians and professionals
in the agricultural sciences must also participate to promote the safe
and rational use of toxic pesticides.
Methodological difficulties and the
multidisciplinary approach
The research process
A multidisciplinary approach was one of the principal characteristics of the
project. However, this can define several different ways of working. For
example, combining research results from two overlapping research designs
can correctly be called multidisciplinary. Alternatively, a single research
design can use a multidisciplinary approach in the process of obtaining data.
This second strategy is perhaps more properly called interdisciplinary and it
is the approach employed by this study.
Of the seven localities on the left side of the Mala valley, three were selected
to constitute the study area. This selection ensured the manageability of the
study without compromising its statistical rigour. The selection took into
account differences in climate and the history of land tenure. The unit of
analysis was defined as agricultural workers who apply pesticides (about 750
workers). A random sample of 150 agricultural workers from the three localities
was chosen, representing 20% of the study population.
Surveys were conducted to gather information about the level of intoxication
and risk factors; the preferred practices of the workers with regard to protective
and application equipment were observed directly. A subsample of those
who had applied DNOC were subsequently questioned about the level of
intoxication experienced.
From a social sciences perspective, two variables of special relevance for
determining the risk level of intoxication by pesticides were the size of plots
and the status of workers (owners, labourers, and mixed cases). Other variables,
such as length of exposure, dosage, etc., depended on these two factors.
To study the conditional factors of risk, the project's social scientists wished
to stratify the study population before sampling, taking into account these two
variables.
The medical scientists and physicians, on the other hand, were interested in
guaranteeing statistical results by determining the level of intoxication based
98