Producer qualification program for safe management of agricultural pesticides should reach India
quinta-feira, março 16, 2023
An initiative aimed at reducing the labor shortage trained for the use of agricultural or agrochemical pesticides will be highlighted in the Asian country this week during an international meeting with an emphasis on crop protection.
With more than 75,000 farmers benefited in Brazil, more than 1,000 municipalities covered (1 million km traveled), almost 4,000 training and investment of R$ 2 million annually, the Applique Program could reach India in 2024.
The Asian country will know more about this widely disseminated and award-winning model of action in Brazil, in the period of March 13 and 17, when New Delhi will host the 15th International Plant Protection Congress, an event parallel to "IUPAC" 2023, on chemistry in agriculture.
In its 16th year of activities, The Apply Well aims to qualify small and medium producers to the safe management of agrochemicals or agricultural pesticides. The central pillars of the program are the protection of crops, the environment and rural work. Without generating any expense to the farmer, The Apply Well moves, all year round, a team of agronomists and a fleet of mobile laboratories towards small and medium-sized Brazilian properties.
The program originated in a private public partnership conceived by the Center for Engineering and Automation (CEA), of the Agronomic Institute (IAC), an agency of the Department of Agriculture and Supply of the State of Sp, located in the city of Jundiaí. "It was born out of a purpose-made connection between CEA-IAC and the UPL company," summarizes Hamilton Ramos, iac researcher and a world-renowned specialist in agrochemicals and biological pesticides.
"The focus is to reduce the shortage of skilled labor in the field. Official data show that more than 60% of Brazilian agrochemical applicators have never received training or training for this activity," Ramos said.
In Brazil, Ramos adds, IBGE data show that between 25 million and 30 million people work in agribusiness. Of these, says the researcher, around 5 million would be illiterate, while another 12 million would act as temporary workers. "In addition, we know that 85% of rural workers are concentrated on small farms. The program is anchored in this scenario", he explains.
Eight countries and behavior change
Ramos said UPL, an agrochemical development and marketing company, as well as biological pesticides, sponsors Apply Well without linking it to sales operations or product brands.
"UPL distributors are exempt allies. They identify producers who need guidance. They act as the geographical reference for 'Mobile Tech' (mobile laboratories) and agronomists moving in Brazil all year round."
Although the program has expanded and consolidated in Brazil, Ramos says, the IAC and UPL have taken it to seven more countries in recent years: Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Colombia, Mali, Mexico and Vietnam. "The expectation is that, like Brazil, Apply Well will become a permanent program in India, where rice, peanuts, sugarcane, vegetables, cotton and grains, crops that demand protective insumin support of productivity are produced."
According to Ramos, for CEA-IAC and UPL, as or more important than the number of farmers and applicators benefited by Apply Well, it is the change in behavior that the program introduces in small and medium-sized properties. "In Brazil, the purchase and application of agrochemicals border 60% of the costs of a crop. With The Apply Well put into practice, this expenditure can fall in half, not counting environmental gains and occupational health."
Source: RPA news
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