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 Tradeoff Analysis (TOA) activities began in Ecuador in 1991 with
research into the effects of pesticides on human health in commercial
potato-pasture systems in the Province of Carchi. The initial focus was
on measuring how human health impacts affect agricultural productivity
and how "policy scenarios" such as taxes on pesticides could change
health-productivity outcomes. Subsequent research analyzed pesticide
contamination of the environment through leaching into surface and
groundwater. "Technology scenarios" were then also incorporated that
analyzed how the adoption of practices such as integrated pest
management and the use of protective clothing affect health, environment
and economic productivity outcomes. A final area of TOA
research is the effect of tillage erosion (the downhill movement of soil
due to mechanized plowing) on agricultural productivity and pesticide
leaching.
Projects and Activities
Ecosalud (Environmental Health): Phase 1 research funded by Rockefeller Foundation, IDRC, the Ecoregional Fund and the Tradeoffs Project investigated the economic, health, and environmental effects of pesticides in the Carchi region. This research was also coordinated with work done by the IPM CRSP. In Phase 2, this research will be continued to investigate factors affecting adoption of IPM and safety practices.
Economic, Environmental, and Health Tradeoffs in Agriculture: Pesticides and the Sustainability of Andean Potato Production. Edited by Charles C. Crissman, John M. Antle, and Susan M. Capalbo. Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/Boston/London in cooperation with the International Potato Center (CIP), 1998.
Available from the International Potato Center (CIP).
 Los Plaguicidas Impactos en Produccion, Salud y Medio Ambiente en Carchi, Ecuador. Edited by David Yanggen, Charles Crissman, and Patricio Espinosa. Published by Centro Internacional de la Papa, y Instituto Nacional Autonomo de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Ediciones Abya-Yala, Quito, Ecuador, 2003. (in Spanish)
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