Implementación de una estrategia de comunicación para posicionar las buenas prácticas agrícolas (BPA): el caso de los productores de piña de la zona norte de Costa Rica/ Implementation of a communication strategy to adopt good agricultural practices (GAP)

Based on the high use of agrochemicals and pressure on ecosystems from agricultural production, as well as complaints and social movements against pineapple crop in the northern region of Costa Rica, a communication strategy was articulated within the framework of the project “Characterization of agricultural practices and the use and management of agrochemicals in pineapple crop, for implementing good agricultural practices (GAP)”. The strategy focused on promoting agricultural and environmental education to help farmers in the implementation of GAPs in the northern region of Costa Rica. There are not many public relations studies about agriculture and rural areas in Latin America. However, public relations can contribute to community development, based on the search for relationships based on trust, mutual understanding, cooperation and a sense of belonging that could lay the foundations for promoting sustainable development. The methodology was carried out in three main stages: diagnosis, approach and execution, and evaluation of the strategy. In the initial stage, one of the main findings was the outstanding negativity in local and national media coverage of pineapple production. Based on the results of the diagnosis, four main problems to be addressed during the implementation stage were identified: 1) overdose of pesticides; 2) bad stubble management; 3) poor soil management; 4) disrespect for aquifer protection zones. For the second stage, we applied two tactics consisting of a set of tasks intended to target audiences identified as main or primary. Also, a training program and crisis management activities were executed. The final stage consisted of the application of an evaluation questionnaire to 25 farmers participating in the training program. The results were several activities developed in the communities, including a series of informative and educational products (videos, key messages through WhatsApp, newsletters, infographics, a guide for the identification of pests and diseases in the pineapple crop); press management; workshops at local schools; and a GAPs Fair to promote the sustainable production of pineapple. The strategy promoted a training program, consisting of 34 talks, which was attended by 240 people: farmers, university students, agricultural products and tools sales personnel, people from cooperatives and interested members of the public. According to the final evaluation, 68 % of the training participants stated that their ability to produce pineapple using GAP improved during the last years; 40 % stated that environmental balance was the main benefit of implementing GAPs in pineapple crop, followed by economic savings (24 %). This shows that the message related to the environment was the prevailing one, consistent with the environmental and educational communication proposed by the strategy. As a conclusion, of the three most implemented agricultural practices by pineapple farmers, we identified that two were part of those promoted by the communication campaign. Thus, the project’s communication strategy had a strong incidence in the improvement of agricultural practices in the area and increased the number of positive notes related to the pineapple crop, before the crisis. We were able to impact the local production of pineapple through a clearly established strategy. Also, this allowed us to face the different phases of the crisis situation.