The Pest of the Month remained the most read section in 2021. The articles on nematodes, fall armyworm and coffee rust had the highest traffic of visits along with texts on Personal Protective Equipment, PPE and Integrated Pest Management, IPM.
The Pest of the Month has been the most read section for 10 years; in the available articles you will find technical information on the pest, its scientific name, its reproduction, control methods and the socio-economic impact on crops.
The performance on social networks was also positive; we had a reach of 26 million people and more than 400,000 interactions. Although the majority of readers come from countries with a greater number of inhabitants such as Mexico or Colombia, in 2021 we increased the number of visitors from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay, assured Mónica Velásquez, Communications Director of CropLife Latin America.
High demand for online courses
9,364 diplomas were awarded for passing one of the 8 courses available on the virtual education platform or on the CropLife Latin America Educational APP. The most preferred courses were Life Cycle of a Pesticide, Good Agricultural and Beekeeping Practices for the health of Pollinators, and Pesticide Risk Management and Mitigation.
Mode of Action, MoA, and its labeling to prevent resistance, is the latest course launched by CropLife Latin America. From May to December, 908 people approved it, mostly from Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia and Chile.
CropLife Latin America's Educational APP recorded more than 6,800 downloads. Students in areas with difficulties in accessing the Internet use it because they do not need to connect to the data to advance in reading any of the courses, take the tests or consult the available materials. In addition, several improvements were made in the navigation of the APP and the QR code was implemented in the diplomas or certifications, which facilitates the digital validation of the course taken and the date on which it was taken.
The challenge for 2022 is to demonstrate in communications the relationship between agricultural sustainability with issues such as pest control, good agricultural practices or the importance of new technologies. We know that the public responds to the quality of the content, so we will work to maintain an informative offer of interest and an educational offer specialized in crop protection that is increasingly robust.
Featured Articles in News:
- Drones for the application of agrochemicals
- Biotechnology in agriculture
- How to take care of the soils?
Most read articles in the ABC of Pesticides:
- The importance of washing your food
- Doubt-mongers
- Life without chemistry, impossible
Most read articles in The Farmer First
- What you don't know about food waste
- The role of crop protection technologies in the fight against climate change
- The movement of the ugly but tasty that talks about the importance of not wasting those foods that, although they are not perfect, are nutritious and can be consumed.
