CropLife Latin America operates a number of programs throughout the region. One project is a partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to provide training to farmers in the Cuchumatanes Highlands in Guatemala. The project aims to improve the livelihoods of 22,000 families with incomes below the poverty line.
A needs analysis demonstrated that one of the problems in the area was poor handling and application of crop protection products, leading to health and environmental risks. Thus, a multiple approach was used: teaching Integrated Pest Management (IPM) concepts and proper, safe use of crop protection products to farmers and their families, school teachers and health workers; a one-year course for schoolchildren on environmental protection; training teachers on the benefits and risks of crop protection products; communicating to housewives the importance of washing farmers’ clothes separately so as to avoid contamination of other clothes and water supplies; providing information to health workers at medical and paramedical levels on treatments in the event of accidents; and the training of trainers to amplify the reach of the program goals.
To learn more, please visit CropLife’s website.
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