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Village
farmers are often uneducated about proper
mixing, application, personal protection and the
safety of bystanders and livestock. In addition
to public health issues, pesticide misuse can
hurt opportunities for farmers to make money
exporting their produce.
For example, safe pesticide use is especially
important in Mali because Malian farmers grow a
number of crops for export to Europe. European
standards for import crop quality are strict,
and produce will be rejected if it has too much
of an approved pesticide or any trace of an
unapproved pesticide. If horticultural crops
from Mali are rejected, this adversely affects
farmers in Mali who rely on them to generate
much-needed income.
Jean Cobb, Don Mullins, and Pat Hipkins—all
Virginia Tech scientists—worked with Malian
agricultural scientists and educators to create
a pilot pesticide safety program. This program
included a set of lesson plans for trainers that
addressed key concepts of pesticide safety as
well as teaching techniques. Among the packet of
materials was an illustrated pesticide safety
book in Bamanan, the native language.
Malian partners then used these training
materials in “farmer field schools” to teach
pesticide safety to farmers. After every
training session, each participating farmer was
given a copy of the pesticide safety booklet.
Specific topics covered in the booklet include
basic safe handling practices, use of protective
clothing, and signs and symptoms of pesticide
poisoning.
After initial training sessions, the trainers
discovered that the farmers, in addition to
using the booklets as a resource guidebook, were
bringing them to their “alphabetization” (Bamanan
reading and writing) classes, where teachers
were using them as readers.
Bamanan, a language of West Africa, has only
recently been codified into a written language,
so printed materials in the language are scarce.
“We were excited to see that our product was
having a second life,” said Hipkins, the senior
Tech research associate who worked with Malians
to plan, develop, and deliver the pilot
pesticide safety sessions. “Now, not only are we
teaching a wide audience about safe pesticide
use, but we are also helping with literacy
training.”
Pesticide Safety Booklet Chapter Titles
1. Introduction to Pesticides
2. Introduction to Pesticide Management
3. Pesticides and Risk
4. Pesticides and Toxicity
5. Pesticides and Exposure
6. Protective Clothing and Equipment: Who, When,
Why and How
7. Tolerances for Pesticides in Food; and
Consequences of Pesticide Misuse
8. Applying Pesticides Safely and Effectively
9. Pesticide Poisoning: Overview, Signs and
Symptoms, First Aid
10. Hand Sprayer Calibration (Backpack, Bottle) |
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