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Pesticide collage awarded at SNF photo competition

May 12, 2020 | Stephanie Schnydrig

Every year, the Swiss National Science Foundation launches a photography competition to select the best images from the world of science. In the category "The Research Project" the collage of a joint research project of Eawag and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute was recognized.

Curdin Brugger's collage of over 100 pesticide bottles was created as part of the "Pestrop" research project. The project investigates the ecological, health and institutional dimensions of pesticide use in tropical areas.

Curdin Brugger is completing his Master's thesis at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and travelled to Uganda last year with Philipp Staudacher from Eawag. In their field research, they investigates how well and to what extent pesticide sellers advise local farmers. For this purpose, Brugger carried out a so-called mystery shopping in Uganda: he sent local farmers into stores pretending to have problems with pests. All the purchased products can be seen on the collage.

He is delighted about the appreciation: "This award gives me additional motivation in my research and underscores the importance of the Pestrop project." The special thing about the collage is that the dangerous situation that the farmers regularly face is made visible.

A total of 250 works by researchers were submitted to the competition, showing the diversity of the world of research.

Cover picture: Curdin Brugger