organic growers are taking a new approach, like here in el pinco. agronomist gonzalo marx peÑarreta was exposed to farming chemicals for three years. he worked for a pesticide wholesaler -- until he got sick. gonzalo: i worked for a company that sold farming products -- like pesticides, and so forth. i had to work on the fields that were being sprayed by the airplanes. that's how i got sick. pesticide use makes the plantation workers sick. once they've reached a certain age, they lose their nails, they get cancer, they lose their hair and their eyesight. it's all too much. reporter: it's hard to get official figures on health problems caused by pesticides, but in this region, everyone seems to know someone who has gotten sick. the organic plantations only use natural substances, like manure, bacterial extracts, algae extracts, and oils that may help slow growth of pests like the sigatoka fungus. gonzalo: on a conventional plantation, you can go walking at night and you won't encounter anything on the ground. on an organic farm, you'll find weeds, wo