CropLife Indonesia trains Smallholder Vegetable Farmers in Brebes on Sprayer Maintenance and Occupational Health &Safety

As a part of its trainings to promote responsible use of crop protection chemicals, CropLife Indonesia recently organized a two-day practical training for smallholder vegetable farmers in Brebes. The session specifically focused on occupational safety measures such as preventing leakage due to faulty knapsack hand sprayers(KHS).

Knapsack sprayers are most commonly used in Indonesia and when not maintained properly, leakage from the sprayers can result in loss of pesticides.This, in turn, can lead to many issues including increased expenditure, incorrect dosage and impact on the environment particularly non-target organisms. Further, it could also result in health implications as a result of being exposed to pesticides due to lack of appropriate personal protection and use of equipment while spraying. A vast majority of farmers lack proper knowledge and understanding on maintenance and calibration of their knapsack hand sprayers.

Partnering in an initiative with vegIMPACT that aims to enhance understanding of Occupational Health and Safety for farmers and contract sprayers, CropLife Indonesia recently conducted trainings on sprayer maintenance and responsible use of chemicals for farmers in Brebes Residency. The vegIMPACT (vegetable production and marketing with impact) program is charged withimproving vegetable production and marketing for small farmers in Indonesia. Through its interventions, vegIMPACT contributes to food and nutrition security in Indonesia by promoting GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) and developing new value chains to improve the income of a large number of farmer families, growing a variety of vegetable crops.

The two-day sprayer maintenance training took place at the sub-district Kersana, Brebes on the 14th and 15thof April 2015.  About 72 participants, including farmers from 7 villages (Kersana, Kemukten, Kramat Sampang, Sutamaja, Limbangan, Kecipir, and Krakahan) and local extension service staffs, participated in the event. Participants were explained in detail various aspects of using crop protection chemicals responsibly. They came to understand that every single drop from their leaky sprayersis very valuable – considering the time, effort, money spent and volumes applied. It was a valuable learning experience for the participants.  In addition to being trained in sprayer maintenance, they were taught about the importance of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in order to avoid exposure to pesticides that may lead to occupational health issues. Some farmers even requested for more in-depth trainings on pesticide application techniques and management of drift in addition to sprayer maintenance.


For the last few decades, CropLife Indonesia has organized trainings focused on themes such as GAP and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) reaching thousands of beneficiaries including farmers, agri-input retailers, extension officials, Pest Management Officers from the Government and civil society organizations. CropLife Indonesia, through its various stewardship initiatives, promotes sustainable agriculture for a safe and secure food supply in Indonesia.



For more info, visit:
www.croplife.org
www.croplifeasia.org
http://www.vegimpact.com/outline#sthash.FoFtf4J0.dpuf

Contact
Dedi Triadi, Project Manager - Stewardship
CropLife Indonesia
Email: dedi.triadi@croplifeindonesia.org