Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
2 Production diversity, as in the number of different species produced on the
farm. The diversity and type of production suggested the quantity and
quality of labour required on the farm.
3 Intensiveness of the production unit, as determined by the number of hectares
farmed for each crop, the way in which crops were produced - that is, in
technological and capital assets used - and the types of crops grown under
any type of cover (greenhouse, tunnels, etc.). This helped establish risk
ranks according to the generic or specific chemical products used to
control diseases. The type of chemical inputs depended on the type of
crops as well as the technology used for their production. Intensiveness
also provided an indicator of time spent in a day's work.
4 Characteristics of the labour organization, incorporating details such as the
number of people working and their type of jobs (owner-producer, familiar,
mediero, salaried worker, day labourer). Also, labour contracts provided
information on the
employment
structure with regard to work
organization and responsibilities.
5 Residence, age and gender of the different people on the farm - family or
labourer - posed the probable-risk magnitude from the environment where
they live in relation to their age and their gender.
Values were assigned for each of the above indicators and a risk ranking
was formed, as illustrated in Table 9.2.
The size of each production unit (in hectares) was the reference variable
in a stratified sample of the 194 identified producers. Size was chosen because
its absolute variability was minor compared with that of other variables. A
sample size of 73 producers was determined to be representative, with a 95 per
cent level of confidence.
Data for the field survey were collected from the owner-producer of each
quinta. In many cases, the owner-producers did not allow other people
working in the unit to participate in the survey. As a result, the only questions
that could be asked were those that the owner of the production unit would
answer. Although this was a constraint, the results nevertheless are still useful.
Further work can build on this initial survey.
A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the
horticultural producers. It included questions about production conditions,
working conditions, the physical environment, access to basic services and
personnel's health: of the owner-producer, the owner's family and any other
person working or living in the horticultural production unit.
The questionnaire had the following three characteristics:
1 It exposed each interviewee to 'the same stimulus' (questions), which enabled
all the data to be grouped and compared.
2 The questions had a predetermined sequence.
3 The breadth of the study was determined beforehand and lists of potential
responses were prepared in advance for categorization. Some semi-
structured questions were included to elicit a wide range of responses.
