Effectiveness of pesticide stakeholders’ information on pesticide handling knowledge and behaviour of smallholder farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria

• Published in: Environment, development and sustainability Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 17185 - 17204
• Main Authors: Madaki, Mustapha Yakubu, Lehberger, Mira, Bavorova, Miroslava, Igbasan, Boluwatife Teniola, Kächele, Harald
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.07.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Consumers; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Economic Geology; Economic Growth; Effectiveness; End users; Environment; Environmental Economics; Environmental Management; Farmers; Garbage collection; Government agencies; Handling; Hazardous wastes; Information sharing; Knowledge; Personal protective equipment; Pesticide application; Pesticide residues; Pesticides; Precautions; Protective equipment; Regression models; Residues; Respirators; Side effects; Small farms; Stakeholders; Sustainable Development; Unpleasant; Waste management; Nigeria; Pesticide handling; Personal protective equipment; Pesticide labels; Pesticide information sources
• ISSN: 1573-2975; 1387-585X; 1573-2975
• DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-03332-8

Although pesticides ensure the quality and quantity of agricultural produce, they have adverse effects on farmers, their families, and consumers. Therefore, in order to reduce the unpleasant effects of pesticide use, stakeholders would be well advised to extend guidance and precautions to end users. The objective of this study was to determine the pesticide handling behaviour and the effectiveness of pesticide information on pesticide handling knowledge and personal protective equipment (PPE) use among farmers in southwest Nigeria. One hundred and fifty-six farmers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire in December 2019 and January 2020. The results revealed that a one-third of the farmers dispose their pesticide residues on the field, only 3% of the farmers dispose the hazardous pesticide waste at a collection point, and 65% of them dispose the empty containers indiscriminately. The majority of farmers never use respirators (79%), hats (60%), and boots (57%) when applying pesticides. Knowledge of pesticide application and waste management is low (58% of respondents scored less than 10 on a knowledge scale of 0–14). The result of the regression model shows that information from pesticide labels and farmer-to-farmer exchanges significantly increase farmers’ knowledge of pesticide handling and PPE use. Our results suggest that the effectiveness of current information provision to smallholder farmers on the correct use of pesticides is not sufficient. Therefore, we highlight the need for pesticide companies, distributors, and government agencies to intensify and further develop their efforts to empower smallholder farmers to improve their knowledge and use of pesticides.