Innovative Research Preventing Pesticide Misuse wins British Environmental Award

Rampant pesticide misuse by millions of farmers in developing countries pollutes the environment, threatens the health of farmers and their families, and also sets the stage for secondary pest infestations that cause devastating crop losses.

An innovative, IRRI-led research project to prevent pesticide misuse garnered Britain's Green Apple Environmental Award. The project - funded by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation - has encouraged millions of Vietnamese rice farmers to reduce pesticide use. In addition to environmental and health benefits, the project is helping many farmers to reduce input costs by US$30-50 per season - equal to a month's income in Vietnam.

"This project has exposed only the tip of the iceberg regarding the inappropriate use of agricultural pesticides in the developing world," said K.L. Heong, IRRI entomologist and leader of the award-winning project. "We convinced farmers to reduce their pesticide use, but no sooner did the project end, the continued marketing of such products caused pesticide use levels to climb again."

According to Dr. Heong, major multinational pesticide corporations act responsibly by organizing educational and awareness programs for farmers and other pesticide users. However, the same cannot be said for local dealers in many countries. It is local dealers who actively persuade poor farmers to use pesticides inappropriately. And many of them are very creative in their marketing and promotion.

First launched in 1994 in the Mekong Delta - one of Asia's great rice bowls ù the IRRI-led partnership's research and subsequent campaign marked a milestone in rice production. First, it clearly identified the damage caused by misapplied insecticides that kill insect predators thereby encouraging pests that would otherwise have been controlled. Second, it developed innovative and effective methods of communicating important scientific information to farmers.

In addition to Dr. Heong, key partners include Monina Escalada, a communications professor at the Philippines' Leyte State University, now seconded to IRRI; Nguyen Huu Huan, the vice director general of Vietnam's Plant Protection Department; and Vo Mai, Dr. Huan's predecessor.

The project combined solid scientific research and innovative communication techniques. "We got a group of actors to play out a series of brief comedies, relating solid scientific facts through rustic situations to make the audience laugh," Dr. Heong explained. "We found these simple, humorous messages fixed themselves in the minds of thousands of farmers."

Subsequent surveys have confirmed the beneficial impacts. In project areas, insecticide use was halved (1.7 applications per season, down from 3.4 applications). The number of farmers who believed that insecticide use would bring higher yields fell from a high of 83 percent to 13 percent. Equally important, the number of farmers who realized that insecticides killed natural enemies of rice pests rose from 29 percent to 79 percent.

"We should be training extension workers to communicate more effectively with farmers and delivering accurate information to farmers," Dr. Heong concluded. "We can't afford to leave pesticide education to those who profit by spreading misinformation about these chemicals."