Reducing vector-borne disease by empowering farmers in integrated vector management.
OBJECTIVE
Irrigated agriculture exposes rural people to health risks associated with vector-borne diseases and pesticides used in agriculture and for public health protection. Most developing countries lack collaboration between the agricultural and health sectors to jointly address these problems.


METHODS
We present an evaluation of a project that uses the "farmer field school" method to teach farmers how to manage vector-borne diseases and how to improve rice yields. Teaching farmers about these two concepts together is known as "integrated pest and vector management".


METHODS
An intersectoral project targeting rice irrigation systems in Sri Lanka.


RESULTS
Project partners developed a new curriculum for the field school that included a component on vector-borne diseases. Rice farmers in intervention villages who graduated from the field school took vector-control actions as well as improving environmental sanitation and their personal protection measures against disease transmission. They also reduced their use of agricultural pesticides, especially insecticides.


CONCLUSIONS
The intervention motivated and enabled rural people to take part in vector-management activities and to reduce several environmental health risks. There is scope for expanding the curriculum to include information on the harmful effects of pesticides on human health and to address other public health concerns. Benefits of this approach for community-based health programmes have not yet been optimally assessed. Also, the institutional basis of the integrated management approach needs to be broadened so that people from a wider range of organizations take part. A monitoring and evaluation system needs to be established to measure the performance of integrated management initiatives.
van den Berg
Henk
H
Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands. henk.vandenberg@wur.nl
von Hildebrand
Alexander
A
Ragunathan
Vaithilingam
V
Das
Pradeep K
PK
D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D006801:Humans; D012275:Oryza; D010571:Pest Control / Q000379:methods; D010575:Pesticides; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012424:Rural Population; D013188:Sri Lanka
D010575:Pesticides