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

Increase and improve training activities
Training the trainers to be more efficient using KAP strategy and communicative
skills;
Pest management practices;
Information exchange;
Sharing and standardizing information and materials required for
training.
Better regulation of highly toxic pesticides
Regional collaborative pesticides research
A review of the past and current activities in Malaysia, the Philippines, and
Thailand with respect to health- and safety-related aspects of pesticide use in
agriculture raises several important points. Although agriculture continues to
play an important role in the economies of these countries, the major crops
differ. However, the health and safety problems in these countries are similar
and the identified research needs are common. Three areas deserve attention:
the need for comprehensive exposure assessment; the need to instil safety
consciousness, especially in farming communities; and the need to upgrade
pesticide-application methods, especially among small farmers.
Recognizing the commonality of research needs has been the driving force
behind an initiative to develop a regional strategy for pesticides research
through a network comprising scientists from Malaysia, Thailand, and the
Philippines. At a meeting in July 1990 in Bangkok, Thailand, the research
group reconfirmed the priorities for the region and reached consensus on the
following specific research proposals:
Exposure assessment - design and development of personal protective
equipment for rice- and vegetable-farm labour, appropriate to the environmental
and sociocultural conditions of the three countries;
Pesticide-application technology - design and development of a safe,
efficient, and cost-effective knapsack sprayer for small farmers in the
Asian region; and
Education and training - using a KAP survey approach, educate and
train trainers and farmers in the safe and efficient use of agricultural
pesticides.
The collaborative effort of scientists from the three countries is summarized
in their mission statement:
Development of appropriate application technology and generation
of exposure-assessment information, reinforced through farmers'
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