PROJECT ASSESSMENTS - Science for Agriculture and Rural Development in Low-income Countries - page 150

farming practices, land use and the type and quantity of pesticides applied throughout
the year. Work packages 5 and 6 were due to be completed during the third year of
the project. Preliminary methods were also developed for the analysis of pesticide
residues in environmental media (Work packages 7 and 8). Target pesticides were
identified from the PRA in year 1. Laboratory toxicity bioassays were also
developed and tested using local species.
Year 3 Individual partners from Thailand and Sri Lanka initiated a programme of
chemical effects monitoring using a combination of chemical analysis and in situ
bioassays (Work packages 7 and 8). This was facilitated with a series of three work-
shops organized during year 3. This programme is nearing completion as of August
2005 and will be reported in full in the final technical report. Environment and land
use monitoring (Work packages 5 and 6) also continued during year 3 for both
Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Year 4 All activity in the environment and land use (WP5 and 6) and chemical and
effects monitoring (WP7 and 8) work packages will be completed and reported on
during the early part of year 4. Monitoring data will then be available for the risk
assessment procedure. The first version of the decision support system (PRIMET) is
already available for carrying out the risk assessments (WP9). Training on the use of
PRIMET will then be provided by Partner 2 during the last MAMAS workshop. The
outputs from the risk assessment process will then be used in the training and
implementation of pesticide administration and risk mitigation procedures (WP 9).
Policy bulletins for the administration and management of pesticides in multi-use
aquatic systems will also be developed (WP10).
2) Can you identify disciplinary and multi-disciplinary activities?
The project was a combination of social, economic and natural sciences. The situation
appraisal comprised of performing interviews, quantitative economic assessments,
workshops, which results feed into the preliminary risk assessment which makes use
of natural sciences. The results of this situation appraisal and risk assessments was
communicated back to all stakeholders by means of state of the system workshops.
The same approach was used at the end of the project.
D) General project outputs
1) What are the scientific contributions of the project (to RDSA methodology or
more general scientific contributions)?
Development of Risk Assessment methodology for tropical countries
Pesticide exposure via for instance spray drift or runoff to surface water, accumula-
tion in the topsoil, and leaching to groundwater potentially affects organisms in
water and soil and might also pose risks to humans via dietary exposure, in case they