Most of the rural regions in Asian-Pacific countries undergo a rapid transition from traditional subsistence to cash economy-oriented agriculture and other subsistence mode. Such transition entails not only alteration of local “natural” environment but also introduction and release/accumulation of chemical substances, such as pesticides and food additives, into the local ecosystem, which in turn would affect the health and survival of the population. The objectives of the study were 1) to describe the diversity of such transitions, and 2) to identify the factors that may positively or negatively contribute to the changes of chemical burden to the local environment and [human] communities associated with such transitions through within- and between-country comparisons. Choosing 32 communities from six Asia-Pacific countries, which were supposed to be in various “position” of the transition, we have conducted a series of comprehensive surveys, including evaluation of nutritional and chemical exposure through anthropometry and (urinary/blood) biomarkers, collection of behavioral data (using GPS and accelerometer), and evaluation of surrounding biomass (using remote sensing). We then analyzed the interrelationship between the transition and the changes of local chemical environments as well as the changes of nutritional and health status of the population.
Results/Conclusions
Samples and information from 4-6 communities in each of Indonesia, Nepal, Viet Nam, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh and China (Hainan Is.) were collected and analyzed. Within-country analyses so far have been conducted using Indonesian dataset. The results of the within-community analyses revealed that 1) transition process was heterogeneous among the communities; 2) effects of a subsistence transition on chemical exposure as well as on nutritional status appeared different between sexes, which might be related with some biosocial factors; 3) possible points through which the transition process diversified among initially similar communities were mainly social rather than natural; i.e., governmental agricultural policy as well as large scale constructions of infrastructure. We examine the similarity and difference of such observations among the countries and discuss the important forces that drive the process in different directions.
