Greening the green revolution: Moving beyond chemicals to sustainable agricultural practices

Agriculture has dominated the economy of many developing countries for centuries, which has led to development policies that center on agricultural development. An obvious approach to improved production is to decrease agricultural losses in the fields and increase efficiency to markets. This study focuses on the developmental role of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on non-traditional agricultural export farming and the adoption of IPM techniques. With farmers in the Comayagua Valley of Honduras, an Asian vegetable production center for the country, as the study population, the costs and benefits of planting oriental vegetables was examined. Statistical analysis was used to examine factors contributing to a farmer's decision whether or not to adopt integrated pest management techniques. Agricultural practices and economic data were compiled through personal surveys. Farm locations were tagged using a GPS handheld unit for distance modeling. Despite a small study sample some observations were made. Chemical cost accounted for more than 50% of the expected return and correlations were found between land access and the use of fixed traps and barriers. Observations made during this study have indicated areas and directions for future studies.