## 3 Results  
The sociodemographic characteristics of both study groups were comparable. The ages of the producers ranged between 47 and 59 years with statistically similar ages (FC: \(\chi\) = 42.86 \(\pm\) SD = 14.65; FA: \(\chi\) = 40.62 \(\pm\) SD = 15.83). The level of schooling was predominantly elementary education for the FC group (57.44%), while the FA group had a higher educational level (secondary education, 51.16%). It was also observed that the alcoholic habit prevailed in both groups, unlike the tobacco habit, where 78.72% of the peasants were non-smokers for the FC group, being higher in the FA group (Table 1). Currently, most peasants plant between one and five hectares (78.8%); few peasants cultivate more than 15 hectares (4.5%). The predominant type of system is maize monoculture (59.1%), although the \"milpa system\" was detected less frequently (2.5%), which refers \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Group with the Highest Use of**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Control Group, with Less Use of**} \\ \cline{3-6}  & & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Pesticides**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Pesticides**} \\ \cline{3-6}  & & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**FC = 47**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**FA = 43**} \\ \cline{3-6}  & & **Frequency** & **Percentage (\%)** & **Frequency** & **Percentage (\%)** \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Age} & \(<\)46 years & 13 & 27.66 & 9 & 20.93 \\  & 47–59 years & 21 & 44.68 & 19 & 44.19 \\  & 60–72 years & 11 & 23.40 & 12 & 27.91 \\  & 73–84 years & 2 & 4.26 & 3 & 6.98 \\  & No education & 4 & 8.51 & 2 & 4.65 \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Level of education} & Elementary education & 27 & 57.45 & 16 & 37.21 \\  & Secondary education & 14 & 29.79 & 22 & 51.16 \\  & Technical education & 2 & 4.26 & 3 & 6.98 \\  & No smoking & 37 & 78.72 & 36 & 83.72 \\  & 1–5 cigarettes/day & 2 & 4.26 & 4 & 9.30 \\  & 6–10 cigarettes/day & 3 & 6.38 & 2 & 4.65 \\  & More than 10 cigarettes/day & 5 & 10.64 & 1 & 2.33 \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Alcohol consumption} & No alcohol & 2 & 4.26 & 1 & 2.33 \\  & Once a week & 11 & 23.40 & 12 & 27.91 \\ \cline{1-1}  & 2 to 3 times a week & 28 & 59.57 & 26 & 60.47 \\ \cline{1-1}  & 4 or more times a week & 6 & 12.77 & 4 & 9.30 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} FC = group of conventional farmers; FA = group of agroecological farmers.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Sociodemographic characteristics of the groups under study. to a traditional agricultural system made up of a polyculture, where the main species is corn, accompanied by various species of beans, pumpkins, and chili peppers, which constitutes a dynamic space of genetic resources. It should be noted that of the 90 maize-producing peasants, 34.04% (16/47) of the FC group and 58.13% (25/43) of the FA group reported having received training in pesticide management. The FC group reported higher pesticide exposure with a 6 day, 8 h work week, with thirty years of experience in corn production. The FA group carried out various agroecological practices in the production of corn, with a higher frequency of mixed activities and less exposure to pesticides, with a work week of 7 days at 10 h a day, presenting the same experience of years worked as the FC group. According to the information obtained from the corn farmers surveyed here, 99.7% of the FC group had used some type of chemical pesticide, applying it two to three times per agricultural cycle. In the case of the FA group, it was identified that a small percentage of farmers used chemical pesticides (2.32% to 18.60%), applying them at least once during the agricultural cycle. In total, 21 commercial products were identified, mainly herbicides and to a lesser extent insecticides and fungicides (Table 2). The group of peasant maize producers in the FC group reported using more herbicides, such as Esteron, Hierbamina, and Gesaprim, followed by the group of insecticides (Arrivo and Karate) and to a lesser extent the fungicide, with the commercial brand Folicur being the one that showed the greatest use in the cultivation of maize by the peasants.