Bridging the GAP –
Dow AgroSciences Education Effort Brings Good Agricultural Practices, and a Taste of Sunshine, to Life

For millions of people around the globe, the taste of sunshine is synonymous with the rich, sweet flavor of mangoes, just one reason why Dow AgroSciences goes the extra mile to ensure proper use of its products that are destined for use in mangoes.

Early in 2005, Dow AgroSciences learned that small-scale mango and tropical fruit growers in the Philippines-- the sixth  largest mango producer in the world-- were using Lorsban*-4E insecticide and other products containing chlorpyrifos to protect their crops and themselves from fire ants, a use which goes beyond the label recommendation and beyond Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). GAP are the practices that incorporate recommendations and available knowledge to achieve the objectives of environmental, economic and social sustainability for farming resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products.

To ensure proper use of chlorpyrifos products and help achieve GAP objectives, Dow AgroSciences, in partnership with local governments and agriculture industry associations, decided to develop and put into action a product stewardship program to educate the area's more than 2.5 million small farmers about labeled uses and proper personal protective equipment. Dow AgroSciences provided expertise and training to government agents and CropLife personnel who were then able to bring classroom education and printed materials to farmers and distributors in the major mango / tropical fruit growing areas in the Philippines.

Bringing the program together was no small task, and the program continues even today, just one more way for Dow AgroSciences to help farmers bridge the GAP and continue bringing millions their sweet taste of sunshine.

Dow AgroSciences: Improving the quality and quantity of the earth's food supply through stewardship and education.