Pesticide use in agricultural holdings closer to dwellings exposes the population to its noxious effects. This study is set on the premise that although pesticide seems a panacea for crop protection, it has continued to wreak havoc on farmers' health and especially school going population who are exposed to pesticide use in nearby agroindustrial plantations in the Mungo Corridor. The study objectives are to identify students who use pesticides and why they use these toxic chemicals. In this same vein, it probes into identifying some common pesticides exposure pathways among students and the resultant effects of these toxic chemicals on them. The study employed both primary and secondary data, and key informant interviews with resource persons. Data was collected through a survey of 510 students across 10 schools in two subdivisions. Data analysis was run on Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS 16.0, employing descriptive (percentage indices, charts, mean, median) and inferential (Kruskal-Wallis (H-Test), Mann Whitney (U-Test), and Chi-Square test) statistics. Findings revealed that school going population is potentially exposed to pesticides via different exposure pathways, justified by the proximity of schools to agroindustrial banana plantations where pesticides are sprayed using helicopters. Also, majority of students (85%) use pesticides for various reasons with little or no knowledge on the methods of use which further broadens their exposure. A weighted analysis of data revealed that there was a significant difference between students' education level and some hypothesized explanatory variables (p<0.05), implying that lack of information by students on how to avoid contacts with pesticides further exposes them. However, the paper concludes that receiving training in the safe use of pesticides by students and providing wind barriers in agroindustrial banana plantations to prevent spray drifts from entering into school yards and residence are key solutions to this danger.

Small-scale farmers' vulnerability to agropesticides depends largely on their attitudes and practices vis-à-vis these pesticides. This paper hinges on the causes of small-scale farmers' vulnerability to pesticide use on market garden crops in M'muockngie, South West Region of Cameroon. This study made use of household surveys to identify the origin of pesticide, types, frequency of use and the causes of farmers' vulnerability to pesticides health effects. Data analysis was at the same time manual and numeric. Findings revealed that, over 56% of small-scale farmers buy chemicals from local agrochemical input dealers. The poor handling of pesticide by small-scale farmers causes diseases like cough, itch, catarrh, nausea/vomiting, and eye redness as over 60% of farmers store pesticides at home which increases the risk of contamination. Chi-Square test results revealed that there was a significant difference between small-scale farmers' level of education as a cause of their vulnerability to pesticides harmful effects and some hypothesized explanatory variables (p<0.05). Training in pesticides use and the adoption of environmental-smart methods remain the best solution to safe farmers from this danger.

Learners at school can be subjected to pesticide exposures both from use in the schools and from nearby operations. Plantations de Haut Penja (PHP) is an agro-industrial plantation that uses pesticides to spray its bananas (Musa spp) using helicopters. This aerial spray couple with air drift of noxious particles exposes learners in nearby schools to acute and chronic effects. This paper sought to compare learners’ attitudes with regards to pesticide, in schools located closer to, and further away from the PHP as well as the incidence of contamination among the latter. Data was collected from 600 learners across 10 secondary schools in two subdivisions. Analysis was done with Microsoft Excel 2016 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0 software. Findings depicted that schools are located 5m away from the PHP where pesticides are used on a daily basis. Hence, this exposes learners to the harmful effects of these chemicals. Wind was perceived as the main driver of pesticides drift into schools as it blows from the south west direction at a maximum speed of 30ms-1 which facilitates the drifting of airborne particles of pesticides. As a result, learners closer to the PHP are more vulnerable than their counterparts further away. Kruskal–Wallis test depicted that learners are also involved in pesticides related activities due to a plethora of reasons which further broadens the incidence of contamination among the latter. The study concludes that an environmental impact assessment be carried out in order to install wind barriers in the PHP to prevent spray drifts from entering into schools and that, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) with its decentralized units, should ensure strict implementation of the legal framework on pesticide use and the development, application and evaluation of government policy in the domain of agriculture and environmental surveillance for the proper management of pesticides in Cameroon.