Do farmers perceive risks of fraudulent pesticides? Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The increasing number of fraudulent pesticides on the market not only constitutes a major threat to sustainable agriculture but can also have adverse consequences for the environment and human health. The purpose of this study is to assess farmers' risk perception with regard to fraudulent pesticides and to establish the determinants of their perception. Data were collected through structured questionnaires from 370 farmers from the eastern region in Saudi Arabia. The findings showed that farmers had a high perception of physical, legal, social, and physiological risks of counterfeit pesticides, while they had a moderate perception of agri-environmental risks (M = 3.47, SD = 0.72) and economic risks (M = 3.52, SD = 1.11). Moreover, 73.5% of farmers reported that they had purchased fraudulent pesticides in the last three years. The results of the t-test revealed that the number of farmers who had purchased fraudulent pesticides was significantly higher than the number of farmers who had not purchased such pesticides regarding the perception of the majority of risks, except for physical risk. Multivariate regression analyses showed that age, farm size, farming experience, extension contact, and purchased fraudulent pesticides were significantly associated with risk perception. The findings suggest that awareness campaigns on recognizing fraudulent pesticides among farmers are needed, as well as policy measures, to combat counterfeiting in the agricultural sector in cooperation with other stakeholders.

The Dilemma of Fraudulent Pesticides in the Agrifood Sector: Analysis of Factors Affecting Farmers’ Purchasing Behavior in Egypt

“…The farmers' positive perceptions about fraudulent pesticides' risks affect the farmers' purchasing intentions. This result agrees with those of previous studies [15,38] reporting that less-perceptive farmers have a higher likelihood of buying fraudulent pesticides. Beliefs also arose as a crucial driving factor in purchasing fraudulent pesticides.…”

“…Farming experience also helps attain positive attitudes towards complying with regulations and standards. The present and previous studies' findings [15,38] align well in that the farming experience variable is vital for farmers' perception and purchasing behavior concerning fraudulent pesticides. Likewise, in the present study, "conscious farmers" having mega farm sizes and managing horticultural systems prioritized quality, policy, health, and environmental risk issues relative to "conventional farmers."…”

“…In this section, the respondents rated their agreement regarding fraudulent pesticide drivers in the market on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The fraudulent pesticide drivers' perception index in the market contained 20 statements, which were adopted and modified depending on the study context [15,27,38,[45][46][47]. Then, the third section encompassed an open-ended question about the prerequisites necessary for fighting against fraudulent pesticides in the market from their perspectives.…”

“…Moreover, the technological and distribution issues define whether these products' production and distribution are technically feasible [33][34][35], and the institutional environment provides rigorous legal frameworks and harsh deterrent penalties [34][35][36]. Yet, the demand for these products relates to consumer beliefs and attitudes [27,37], socioeconomic characteristics (e.g., income, farm size, and education) [15,38], the product itself (e.g., perceived quality and price) [13,39], and the institutional environment concerning such products' availability and ease of acquisition [11,32]. This article examines the fraudulent pesticides' demand side from the farmers' view.…”

Farm-Workers Perception of Personal Protective Equipment: Case Study in the Lower South Coast, South Africa

“…Farm work experience was found to be significant to the perception of personal protective materials among respondents, as the mean values for both perceived usefulness and ease of use were higher with increasing number of years. Kassem and Alotaibi (2020) also reported a significant association between farming experience and risk perception. The perception of risk affects behaviour and possible adoption of specific risk-management strategy such as use of PPEs.…”