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

Specific situations may require specific remedies, especially when social,
educational, and cultural factors are intertwined. It is important, therefore,
that baseline descriptive studies of pesticide impact be carried out in all
countries, as it is not sufficient simply to extrapolate from elsewhere. However,
no amount of study will be useful unless the findings are eventually used in
policies and programs. A logical link must connect these studies to some form
of feasible intervention, such as worker education or improvements in regulation.
Although workers themselves may be the current focus of study, it is
important not to overlook other groups, as the potential for exposure also
extends to the workers' families, consumers, and bystanders.
A good example of this chain of logic is provided by a Kenyan study of
small-scale farmers (Mwanthi and Kimani, this volume). The specific objectives
were:
To identify the types of pesticides found in the community;
To observe where and how these chemicals are handled and stored;
To note the disposal methods used for empty containers and leftover
chemicals;
To find out if the farmers understand and follow the instructions on
container labels;
To establish protective clothing used during handling as well as application
time;
To measure awareness and assess practices;
To develop baseline data about the type of pesticides and determine the
extent of use in the selected rural, agricultural community of Kenya; and
To develop a health-education package based on the knowledge,
attitudes, and practices and to disseminate it within the community.
Research as a basis for community action
It is important to view research in a managerial context that relates to decision-making.
This principle is well expressed in the Peruvian project (Rubin
de Celis et al., this volume) whose authors state:
Three characteristics of the project reflect the nature of the problem of
pesticide intoxication and the conditions necessary for its solution:
the multicausal character of the problem and the resulting need for
multidisciplinary cooperation; the successive and simultaneous relations
of the three principal components of the project (research,
education, and epidemiologic monitoring); and the key importance
of three results of the project (making self-diagnosis accurate, changing
the conduct of individuals and of the group, and consolidating
community organizations to ensure behavioural changes and the
effective operation of the monitoring program).
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