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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
Regional IPM Grants (S-RIPM) |
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Project Title:
TALLER MIP (IPM Workshop)- a bilingual worker education program on integrated pest management for the southern nursery and floriculture industry |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: TX Lead Organization: Texas Cooperative Extension |
| Extension Funding: $52,585 |
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Start Date: May-01-2007 End Date: Apr-30-2009 |
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Summary:
Nurseries and greenhouses generate the largest cash receipts of any crop commodity in seventeen U.S. states. In 2005, floriculture and nursery cash receipts exceeded $16 billion. Floriculture producers in the Southern US (led by growers in Florida, Texas and North Carolina) accounted for 42% of the national value. Although floriculture and nursery production has great economic rewards, it also carries a unique set of problems and risks. Small amounts of arthropod feeding are perceived to reduce the aesthetic value of the crops; this triggers frequent and intensive use of pesticides. Ornamental growers in Texas use almost four times as much active ingredient than cotton growers on a per acre basis. This creates great pestassociated risks including insecticide resistance, environmental contamination and worker exposure. Ornamental plants are grown under labor-intensive production systems. High labor input is required in all stages of production from propagation to plant shipment. The average US floriculture grower employs more than 15 workers. The majority of field workers in the industry are of Hispanic origin, have little formal education, and lack simple yet essential technical knowledge required in plant health maintenance efforts. Pest problems often go unnoticed and untreated until they reach levels which trigger frequent and intensive pesticide applications that could be avoided by early pest detection and regular sanitation practices within IPM programs. Our long-range goal is to increase adoption of IPM strategies among ornamental growers by promoting and demonstrating the application of basic ecological principles and IPM-compatible pest management tools. To facilitate achievement of this goal, we have developed a very successful IPM education program targeted at Hispanic (in Spanish) and other entry level workers (in English). This 5- module training program (Taller MIP-IPM Workshop) teaches basic concepts and their application, at an audience-appropriate level which considers the socioeconomic, cultural and educational background of participants. The program subjects include basic plant growth and health, basic biology and ecology of plants, arthropods and pathogens, pest/disease avoidance, prevention, identification and monitoring, pesticide safety and application effectiveness and the integration of pest management tools. More than 200 workers in Texas have benefited from this training program with very positive results.
The overall objectives of this proposal are to enhance the existing and successful training program and increase its target audience by making it appropriate for, and available to ornamental growers across the southern US. Specifically, we will add input and expertise from extension specialists and growers in Florida, North Carolina and Texas, capture video clips of key pests, diseases and IPM practices, and produce and publish high quality educational videos in electronic, portable and ready accessible formats. We will produce videos using available hardware and software and publish the final products in DVD and web video formats that can be viewed in personal computers or downloaded to portable audio/video players. Materials will be ready for use in self-training or group training activities by English or Spanish speaking personnel.
We are well positioned to undertake the proposed extension project because we are part of an interdisciplinary research/extension team committed to supporting the ornamental horticulture industry and we work closely with floriculture and nursery growers. The proposed project is regional in scope, addresses the national IPM road map in the areas of human health and environmental risk reduction in the focus area of production agriculture. It is also innovative, we are unaware of other educational videos available (English or Spanish) on IPM for field workers in the ornamental industry, and taking advantage of the latest video production technology at a much reduced cost compared to conventional methods.
Objectives: The objectives of this proposal are to develop and publish a series of 5 educational videos (and their audio/video components) to be used for IPM worker training in the nursery and floriculture industry. The specific objectives are: 1) Develop a bilingual IPM worker training curriculum for floriculture and nursery growers in the southern region. 2) Develop a video clip library of IPM related concepts and practices, to be posted in current IPM program websites in the southern region 3) Produce and publish the educational video products using the above curriculum and video library, to be widely distributed to interested growers in the southern region |
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Final Report: |
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Results From report submitted by the PI to USDA CRIS report system PROGRESS: 2008/07 TO 2009/06 OUTPUTS: The network of project participants and cooperators continued to expand and now includes workers and extension personnel in eastern Oklahoma, central North Carolina and central and south Florida in addition to north east and southeast Texas. The IPM workshop curriculum has been validated in 22 operations across the southern region. Two short videos on insect monitoring techniques were shot at a grower operation in Texas. Script for two additional videos was completed. Presentations describing the program and its impact were given at the Entomological Society of America annual meeting and the annual Society of American Florists Pest Management conference in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Comments from Supervisory Personnel Follow up communications with worker-supervisors at participating nursery operations have revealed some of the early benefits of the educational program. These include an increased work-satisfaction by workers and better understanding of their role in pest management and crop quality assurance. The following is a response from a head-grower: "Sustainable practices have reduced some costs over the past year as a result of employees being more conscious of water and pest levels, therefore reducing costs of chemicals and their application and costs of labor throwing out dead material." Catherine Cherry Head Grower Seville Farms, Mansfield TX Bilingual Worker- Training Program helps Texas grower become Certified-Sustainable. Relevance: Current market and consumer trends have increased demand for agricultural products that are grown using environmentally and socially sustainable practices. Some retailers of landscape ornamental plants, such as Wal-Mart, have begun requesting their grower-suppliers to participate in certification programs aimed at increase environmental and social accountability. Such certification is currently provided by Veriflora (http://www.veriflora.com/) under its sustainability certification program for potted plants. The Veriflora program establishes criteria in three key areas, environmental sustainability (including sustainable crop production), social and economic sustainability (including worker access to services such as professional training), and product integrity. . Response: Worker training on Integrated Pest and Disease Management provided by Texas AgriLife Extension Service has aided growers in obtaining Veriflora certification. An extension education program, Taller MIP (Spanish for IPM workshop) provides workers with essential knowledge and skills to better manage pests and reduce environmental and heath risks. Results: Seville Farms of Mansfield Texas, a wholesale grower of ornamental landscape plants was among the first US floriculture and nursery growers to become certified by Veriflora. PARTICIPANTS: Described in previous section. TARGET AUDIENCES: Workers (mostly of Hispanic origin) in the floriculure/nursery industry in the southern region of the U.S. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. IMPACT: 2008/07 TO 2009/06 Participants A total of 8 educational programs were delivered in 2008 including 135 participants and representing a total of 994 contact hours. Most participants were originally from Mexico but a minority was from other Latin American countries. On average, participants had 7 years (range 0-12) of formal education and 5 years of experience in the ornamental industry. Previous program evaluation results have demonstrated that the initial level of formal education and years of experience do not determine by themselves the success of the program. Test Scores Tests were given after each training module in 4 of the educational programs. Each module represents 2-4 hours of instruction. Average test score (+/- 1SD, n=99) for all participants were 60.0 +/- 15.7%. The average test score for those participants passing the tests (e60%), were 72 +/- 9.1%. Level of Understanding A post-pre evaluation instrument was used to assess participant's level of understanding of the concepts covered in the training program in one of sessions. Participants were asked to describe their level of understanding (low, medium, high, excellent) before and after the program. Topics were grouped into 6 categories as follows: 1. Basic IPM concepts 2. Sanitation and cultural practices 3. Basic biology and ecology of pests and pathogens 4. Insect pest management 5. Disease management 6. Basic pesticide toxicology On average, for the 17 questions included in the instrument, the percentage of participants with high or excellent understanding of the topic increased from 7% before the program to 75% after the program (range from 0 to 100%). Table 1 shows average responses and change in participants the responses as a result of the training program. On average the self-described level of understanding increased 1.6 points (in a 1-4 scale), indicating a positive impact of the training program. Table 1: Average of the self-described level of understanding of topics covered before and after the training program (1=low, 2=medium, 3= high, 4=excellent). No.Topic description, Before, After, Change 1. IPM concept,1.8,3.0,+1.2 2. Pest and disease prevention tactics, 1.6,3.0, +1.4 3. The importance of monitoring,1.8, 3.4, +1.6 4. Importance of good diagnosis of pest and diseases,1.2, 3.0, +1.8 5. How a pest population increases, 1.2,3.2, +2.0 6. Insect development and metamorphosis,1.0, 3.0 +2.0 7. Basic requirements for plant growth,1.6, 2.8, +1.2 8. When plants need water, 1.6, 3.2, +1.6 9. Importance of sanitation, 1.2, 3.0, +1.8 10. Use of yellow sticky cards to detect pests, 1.8, 3.2, +1.4 11. Difference between chewing and sucking insects, 1.4, 3.4, +2.0 12. Aphids life cycle, 1.0, 2.8, +1.8 13. Mealybugs life cycle, 1.0, 2.8, +1.8 14. Disease cycle concept, 1.4, 3.0, +1.6 15. Disease triangle concept, 1.0, 2.4, +1.4 16. Conditions that favor diseases, 1.2, 2.6 +1.4 17. Causes of plant diseases, 1.4, 3.2, +1.8 PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2008/07 TO 2009/06 1. Carlos Bogran talks about Spanish IPM workshops. Wednesday, 31 October 2007; Green Beam Pro, Branch/Smith Publishing. Published on the web at: http://www.greenbeampro.com/content/view/1067/46/ |
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Outcomes N/A |
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Impacts From report submitted by the PI to USDA CRIS report system Participants A total of 8 educational programs were delivered in 2008 including 135 participants and representing a total of 994 contact hours. Most participants were originally from Mexico but a minority was from other Latin American countries. On average, participants had 7 years (range 0-12) of formal education and 5 years of experience in the ornamental industry. Previous program evaluation results have demonstrated that the initial level of formal education and years of experience do not determine by themselves the success of the program. Test Scores Tests were given after each training module in 4 of the educational programs. Each module represents 2-4 hours of instruction. Average test score (+/- 1SD, n=99) for all participants were 60.0 +/- 15.7%. The average test score for those participants passing the tests (e60%), were 72 +/- 9.1%. Level of Understanding A post-pre evaluation instrument was used to assess participant's level of understanding of the concepts covered in the training program in one of sessions. Participants were asked to describe their level of understanding (low, medium, high, excellent) before and after the program. Topics were grouped into 6 categories as follows: 1. Basic IPM concepts 2. Sanitation and cultural practices 3. Basic biology and ecology of pests and pathogens 4. Insect pest management 5. Disease management 6. Basic pesticide toxicology On average, for the 17 questions included in the instrument, the percentage of participants with high or excellent understanding of the topic increased from 7% before the program to 75% after the program (range from 0 to 100%). Table 1 shows average responses and change in participants the responses as a result of the training program. On average the self-described level of understanding increased 1.6 points (in a 1-4 scale), indicating a positive impact of the training program. Table 1: Average of the self-described level of understanding of topics covered before and after the training program (1=low, 2=medium, 3= high, 4=excellent). No.Topic description, Before, After, Change 1. IPM concept,1.8,3.0,+1.2 2. Pest and disease prevention tactics, 1.6,3.0, +1.4 3. The importance of monitoring,1.8, 3.4, +1.6 4. Importance of good diagnosis of pest and diseases,1.2, 3.0, +1.8 5. How a pest population increases, 1.2,3.2, +2.0 6. Insect development and metamorphosis,1.0, 3.0 +2.0 7. Basic requirements for plant growth,1.6, 2.8, +1.2 8. When plants need water, 1.6, 3.2, +1.6 9. Importance of sanitation, 1.2, 3.0, +1.8 10. Use of yellow sticky cards to detect pests, 1.8, 3.2, +1.4 11. Difference between chewing and sucking insects, 1.4, 3.4, +2.0 12. Aphids life cycle, 1.0, 2.8, +1.8 13. Mealybugs life cycle, 1.0, 2.8, +1.8 14. Disease cycle concept, 1.4, 3.0, +1.6 15. Disease triangle concept, 1.0, 2.4, +1.4 16. Conditions that favor diseases, 1.2, 2.6 +1.4 17. Causes of plant diseases, 1.4, 3.2, +1.8 |
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