Monday, December 10, 2001 -
D0240

Development of a quality assurance program for horticultural crops in Mali, West Africa

Patricia Ann Hipkins1, Jean M. Cobb2, Donald E. Mullins3, Keith M. Moore4, Halimatou Kone Traore5, Safiatou Berthe Dem5, and John S. Caldwell6. (1) Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs, Department of Entomology, 139 Smyth Hall, Blacksburg, VA, (2) Virginia Tech, Pesticide Residue Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, 352 Litton Reaves, Blacksburg, VA, (3) Virginia Tech, Department of Entomology, 311B Price Hall, Blacksburg, VA, (4) Virginia Tech, Office of International Research and Development, 1060 Litton Reaves, Blacksburg, VA, (5) Central Veterinary Laboratory, Diagnostic and Research Division, BP 2295, Bamako, Mali, (6) Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Development Research Division, 1-1 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaragi, Japan

In 1994, the Republic of Mali initiated a program funded by USAID to develop an Environmental Quality Laboratory (EQL). The EQL has a mandate to monitor pesticide residues on crops and in the environment. The EQL was outfitted with equipment, instrumentation, and rudimentary supplies in 1998. In 1999, the EQL and Virginia Tech began a collaborative program to extend the laboratory’s analytical capabilities. This program includes training for Malian growers on appropriate and safe pesticide use. Coordinated efforts to develop residue analysis skills in the laboratory and pesticide safety practices in the field will enable the EQL to have a proactive role, confirming that appropriate pesticides are used correctly in horticultural crop production in Mali. This project is designed to strengthen two basic, complimentary components of a quality assurance system: proper pesticide use validated by pesticide residue monitoring.

Keywords: residue analysis, pesticide education

The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA