Lethal yellowing is the most important threat to coconut production in the world, currently affecting more than 38 species of palms throughout the Americas and The Caribbean region. This disease has destroyed the livelihoods of many people in Africa, Central America and The Caribbean, who depend on palm trees for nourishment, building materials, and income.
Similarly, Huanglongbing is destroying vast areas worldwide where citrus plants are cultivated. After an epidemic that has affected mainly South America (Brazil) for the last decade, HLB is now reaching other partner countries, with the risk of further spread.
Grapevine Yellows disease is reducing both quantity and quality of grapevine products in subtropical regions, therefore threatening the economic revenues linked to grapevine and wine industries. Before the TROPICSAFE project neither economical nor social analysis were available yet on the effects of these diseases.
Economical Sustainability and Social Sciences
The evaluation of the economic and social sustainability of the new technologies and strategies deployed to reduce the effects of these diseases improved the livelihoods of farmers in specific local contexts, giving and estimation of costs and benefits of the single innovation. TROPICSAFE´s analysis provided economic information on the general framework of the market, as the economical sustainability was clarified by comparing the economic results obtained before and after introducing innovations and new strategies for integrated pest management.
The economic analysis conducted and evaluated with reference to farmers and agricultural farmers (at micro-economic level, considering the farm performance, productivity, costs and revenues), as well as workers, village distribution and rural population (at territorial level). The analysis also included an investigation on the distributive effects of the innovation on the different social classes (Cost Benefit Analysis).
