Americas

Nicaragua

• Community-based pest management in Central American agriculture
• York-URACCAN Linkage Project

Community-based pest management in Central American agriculture

Project purpose: The purpose of the project is to improve policies and technical capacity in pesticide storage, handling and use on the part of farmers and their communities in Central America, as a way to enhance human and environmental health while increasing agricultural productivity.

Key results to date: During the first year, nine university staff and 35 representatives from academia, government, industry and non-governmental organizations participated in a certificate course on pesticide risk assessment. In addition, 13 faculty and 28 students from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras were trained in participatory qualitative methodologies for investigating community knowledge. Each student completed a 4-week research practicum within families and communities on pesticide and food storage, handling and use. On-going feedback meetings in the three countries are helping build stronger relationships between students, universities, rural participants and communities in general. They are also providing a venue for rural participants to have a voice in both technical development and policy development initiatives. At the university level, three courses have been modified to introduce new information on participatory research methods and the development of policy indicators.

York-URACCAN Linkage Project

Project purpose: The project aimed to assist the Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense (URACCAN) develop its capacity in education, community health, community development and sustainable resource management and help ensure its sustainability in supporting the social and economic development of Nicaragua's Caribbean coast region.

Key results to date: The capacity of URACCAN to undertake relevant teaching, research and community development has increased through faculty upgrading and training (11 female and 9 male faculty members with master's degrees awarded by York) and the establishment of four new undergraduate and professional development courses. A research inventory permits better understanding of the region's problems and potentials. Through the development and enhancement of training programs dealing with sustainable resource development, community health, education and community development, and cooperative and small entrepreneurial economic development, URACCAN has been able to contribute to the enhancement of the social and economic status of the region, and thus promote poverty reduction.