Pesticide Eco-Alternatives Center Yunnan Thoughtful Action

"With the emphasis on modern science and technology in China today, it sometimes seems that indigenous knowledge and traditional methods are ignorant," said Professor Kuang Rongping of the Pesticide Eco-Alternatives Center Yunnan Thoughtful Action (PEAC).  In the agriculture sector, this means that farmers tend to rely on chemical pesticides in pest control strategies, unaware of the health risks they may pose to farm workers, food supplies, and drinking water.  One of the goals of PEAC is to open the eyes of farmers to pesticide health risks and to work with them on ecological alternatives.

PEAC staff believes that a pest control strategy should consider health risks, environmental conditions, and sustainability.  Traditional farming practices are a rich source of ideas for ecological alternatives to chemical pesticides, yet as Professor Kuang points out, "many farmers don't have enough confidence in themselves and their traditional knowledge."  Working with the agricultural extension system, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), schools, and other partners, PEAC helps develop the capacity of farming communities to educate residents about the risks of chemical pesticides and experiment with ecological alternatives.

PEAC's work with farmers in Dali, located about 400 kilometers northwest of Yunnan province's capital city of Kunming, is an example of the approach it takes.  At the Rural Community Farmer Training School established by Dali farmers, PEAC has installed computers, provided training, and shown farmers how to connect with the outside world in order to gather useful information.  It has taken "leading farmers" to other communities to learn from their experiences.  Dali farmers have introduced programs to raise awareness of pesticide risks and experiments with ecological alternative farming; they also have raised funds from local sources to support their work.  Over time, PEAC will reduce its direct role in the community, ensuring that local stakeholders assume leadership roles.

Founded in 2002, PEAC has already experienced success in its outreach work and institutional capacity building, but wants to multiply its impact by sharing knowledge, experience, and technology with other organizations.  The next phase of its work, supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, is to establish a network of diverse organizations, including academic institutions, NGOs, and public health agencies, which share interests in chemical pesticide reduction. 

Communication will be a critical skill in the construction of the network.  PEAC staff will have to learn how to initiate and sustain dialogues and cooperation with different types of people, including government officials.  Grassroots NGOs, often accustomed to working on their own, will find ways to partner with other organizations.  PEAC will look for innovative ways to use its Web site to better serve a broad range of users.  It also will continue to invest in the leadership potential of young staff, in order to build a robust corps of environmental health professionals.  The consultative, participatory model PEAC has employed in its outreach to rural stakeholders, as well as in its own office, should prove equally successful in its next step, of building a strong, sustainable network to protect human and ecological health.