Swords into ploughshares – new training in El Salvador

Following the end of El Salvador’s civil war in 1982, a new type of war is being fought in the fields—with pesticides to control pest problems in  agriculture. After the demobilisation of the FLMN [the liberation movement] and the Salvadorian military, an agricultural training programme was set up to retrain the ex-combatants of both sides in crop production, animal care, formation of cooperatives, marketing and pesticide use. Development worker Jamie Coutts assesses an NGO programme.

One major problem has been that the training programme was too technical for many people in the countryside who do not have even basic education. The rate of illiteracy is 65%. This has meant that people farm in the same manner as their families have done for generations, often creating ecological problems as a result of pressure on the land and the lack of structure for families to cooperate in community development efforts.

NGOs meet training needs  
NGOs are playing an important support role in servicing the needs of these communities for health services, education, land negotiation, improved agriculture and economic development. In this way the peace process will be consolidated in rural communities.
    CODECOSTA is an NGO based in the south-eastern area of Usulutan. It works with 23 agricultural communities, servicing the needs of 13,000 people. During 1994, a volunteer was employed short-term to develop and implement a pesticides educational training programme. The programme was aimed at promoting the safe use of pesticides in the communities and was supported by several donor agencies [the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF), the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief (PBWR), Action Aid, CIIR, and others].
    The programme included a series of workshops which provided practical information on the potential hazards in using chemical pesticides. The workshops also raised awareness about the safe management of these chemicals. Emphasis was placed on the development of natural pesticides such as the tobacco plant which was abandoned as a pesticide during the green revolution and which can be used to control pests without contaminating the environment.
    Popular education methods using books, posters and leaflets made the information provided more accessible to the peasant population. The workshops also provided hands-on training in the use and repair of chemical spraying equipment to ensure that they are in good order and are not discarded when they stop functioning. Spraying equipment is often broken or leaking and can contaminate the user. At a technical level, the importance of the correct nozzle selection for spray equipment was stressed. All the cheaper chemical sprayers are fitted with a standard adjustable nozzle. By using a better sprayer with the facility to change nozzles, farmers can reduce pesticide quantities by up to 30%.

Preventing abuse  
Applying paraquat mixed with kerosene is a common practice in many of the agriculture cooperatives because many people believe this creates a hot burning effect which is needed to kill weeds. Unfortunately, it is not widely understood that this also kills the natural organisms in the soil and beneficial insects which can help control pests. The use of some of the most dangerous insecticides such as endosulfan and parathion is widespread because they are relatively cheap. These broad-spectrum chemicals also allow pests to re-emerge in greater abundance, as beneficial insects are no longer present in sufficient numbers to control them.
    In some areas, no insects of any kind can be found as a result of ‘calendar spraying’ aimed at ensuring good crop returns. Such over-spraying builds up residues in the soil and food chain which can affect the consumer—very often including the farming families themselves.
    Over-spraying is not a new problem. It has existed for some years on the large coastal zone estates and reached extreme levels when the cotton crop was sprayed every four to eight days resulting in the cotton crop being no longer commercially viable on account of the cost of pesticide inputs. The effects of this massive overuse of pesticides has been lasting damage to the environment. Insecticides have seeped into drinking water wells. In some cases, this has led to contamination of mothers’ breast milk with unacceptably high levels of insecticide residues caused by drinking the water. Contaminated water is often the only source of ‘clean’ drinking water available. Methyl parathion, along with other banned pesticides, has been identified a number of times in surveys of contaminated drinking water wells.
    Mixing and storage of chemical pesticides in rural communities is a large problem. Sardine cans and vodka bottles are often used for measuring and the bottles will frequently be used again for vodka. Empty pesticide bottles and barrels are used to store water or food stuffs which can have serious health effects on the family and/or consumer. In rural households, pesticides are often stored under the bed or in the kitchen rafters to avoid contact with the family room. But this practice may not protect the family from respiratory problems and contamination. Some farmers, conscious of the hazards of storing pesticides in the home, tie containers onto a tree branch out of reach of children. Unfortunately, these containers invite catapult target practice by children which causes damage to the containers and leaking.
    Many people continue to wear work clothes after spraying and even after spilling pesticides over themselves. Symptoms of pesticide poisoning are often confused with other complaints. Sufferers often just wait for the problem to pass without seeking treatment, and such delays can be fatal. People are often reluctant to seek medical treatment because the cost would be too high. Fatalities from pesticide poisoning are accepted by the community: life continues—as does the use of dangerous pesticides.
    Protective clothing can be made from plastic sacks and masks from two-litre soft drink bottles. But the climate is often very hot which makes wearing protective clothing very uncomfortable. When provided with proper protective clothing such as suits, masks, rubber gloves and boots, many farmers are reluctant to use them. They feel conspicuous in a suit which they regard as out of place in the culture of the peasant society.

Conclusion  
These workshops in the CODECOSTA communities have raised awareness with individuals and communities. Information on pesticides and their use is passed down from one generation to the next and so a longer term pesticide training programme is needed to change old habits. 

Jamie Coutts has been based in El Salvador for many years and is a development worker with CODECOSTA.