|
|
Strengthening
Farmers’ IPM in Pesticide-Intensive Areas |
Newsletter about
activities and progress of |
DANIDA
|
Click here for others newsletters
|
|
| 23 October 2002
|
Health survey of spraying farmers(see also previous newsletter) Participants of the training course study the health effects of pesticides on farmers before and after spray operations. During the spraying they observe how the farmer gets exposed to the chemicals. They also observe which types of chemicals are used, how pesticides are stored, and how the farmers dispose of empty containers. The health interview is repeated again at 24 hours after the spraying operation. After analyzing the data they return to the village to give feed back to the farmer community and to plan with the farmers how to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals. The following pictures illustrate how the survey was carried out and show some examples of observations that were made.
|
|
|
|
Participants of the training course are interviewing a farmer about his use of pesticides.
|
|
 |
|
| Participants observed how this farmer is mixing two
different chemicals without proper protection.
|
|
|
|
|
| The farmer even mixed the chemicals with her bare hands.
|
|
|
|
|
| During the spraying operation the farmer is on bare feet
and does not use gloves to protect her hands. It was observed that a lot
of the spray did not reach the crop but contaminated the water near the
vegetable plots.
|
|
 |
|
|
Discovering many empty pesticide containers that are left behind in the field.
|
|
 |
|
| At the road side, an empty container of parathion-methyl
was discovered. This is an extremely hazardous chemical (WHO toxicity
class 1a).
|
|
 |
|
|
In this farm house, many different chemicals are kept on an open shelf.
|
|
 |
|
|
A child is playing near many containers of pesticides that are not kept behind lock and key.
|
|
 |
|
| Another farmer kept his collection of pesticides on the
veranda in front of his house.
|
|
 |
|
|
A farmer sprays his vegetables without protection for his hands and legs. A lot of the chemical contaminates the water surface.
|
|
 |
|
|
Dead fish were found floating in the water near recently sprayed vegetable plots.
|
|
|
|
