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Definition
Any research project that involves human participants needs
to consider the ethical implication of their research. According
to the Common Rule, an international treaty on the treatment
of human subjects in research, participants in research are
defined as persons from whom the reseacher gathers data through
interaction or intervention with the participant. For the
purpose of the CCRP, there are two areas of consideration.
The first area is the impact of agriculture research on the
farmer and their family. For example, in promoting a certain
crop or production method, has the researcher informed the
subject of potential risk to his or her livelihood?
In an ethical study:
- The potential benefits to a participant are equal or greater
than the potential risks.
- Risks should always be minimized
- The protection of the participant is the principal responsibility
of the researcher.
The second area is the use of human participants in research,
and the ethical considerations for these types of studies
are more explicit. Within the scope of CCRP the use of human
participants is encountered in nutritional studies. The use
of human participants ranges in degrees of invasiveness to
filling out a survey form, to doing height and weight measurements.
When human participants are involved in research it is necessary
to devise a plan for ensuring the ethical treatment of the
participants and have the plan approved by an ethics committee
prior to the commencement of research.
Plan for ethical treatment of human subjects
The plan can be compromised of several components including
the following:
- Informed consent: Participants in a research project
should provide voluntary, informed, written consent to the
researcher concerning their agreement to participate in
the project. In order to give consent, participants should
have an understanding of the purpose and scope of the research
project. Informed consent is more than just a document,
it is an ongoing process of communication between the researcher
and participant, which is necessary for the participant
to fully understand the scope of the study. Informed consent
should take into consideration the education level and mental
status of the subject. Special care should be given to vulnerable
populations such as children, the elderly and the mentally
handicapped.
The informed consent document should include:
1. A description of the research and their participation
with an identification of the experimental procedures and
expected duration
2. A description of the reasonably expected risks
3. A description of the reasonably expected benefits
4. Potentially advantageous alternatives to the participation
5. An explanation of confidentiality, who will have access
to the information
6. Contact information for a person who is not directly
involved in the study and can answer questions about the
research and the rights of the participants (can be a member
of the Ethics Committee.)
7. An explication that the participation is voluntary
- Participation of local actors: Local actors and
participants should be involved in the design and implementation
of the research project.
- Just distribution of risks and benefits: This refers
to not using one population (women, children, the poor)
to disproportionally benefit another population. In developing
countries it is also required that the research help local
populations.
- Confidentiality of information gathered from participants
- Monitoring of the approved research
Relevant CCRP projects
None listed as of
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Relevant events
None listed as of
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Relevant literature
None listed as of
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Relevant links
None listed as of
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