4.4.1 Introduction

The intensity of agricultural production in Nicaragua is much lower than that in the Dominican Republic or Thailand but there has been frequent intoxication of the rural population and environmental pollution.

In the 1980s neem trees were planted often in plantations by a range of NGOs, projects and by the Forestry Department in Nicaragua. Until 1990 neem raw material was processed and pesticides and veterinary products were manufactured.

The case study presented here aims to analyse the present state of neem manufacture and use in Nicaraguan agriculture. It intends to identify constraints and interventions needed to help neem pesticides to gain a greater market share and contribute substantially to a reduction of the impacts and problems caused by synthetic pesticides.