Farmers' behaviour in pesticide use: A key concept for improving environmental safety

Damalas, Christos A.; Koutroubas, Spyridon D.

doi:10.1016/j.coesh.2018.07.001

Cited by 78 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…It was also found that 43% of these dealers have only attained primary education and have had no formal training on pesticide use and safety. The current results are similar to those reported by [5,19,22]. In addition, some farmers reported the mixing pesticide kerosene, detergent soap, and other pesticides to increase their efficiency.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…The use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides have been reported as the main and preferred method by most farmers in managing and controlling insect pests and weeds [5,21]. However, there are growing concerns on the safety of such chemicals to consumers and the environment at large [22,23]. Moreover, most smallholder farmers cannot afford a wide spectrum of these herbicides and pesticides [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Farmers’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices in Managing Weeds and Insect Pests of Common Bean in Northern Tanzania

2019

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Weeds and insect pests are among the serious constraints in common bean production in most rural communities. A survey of 169 smallholder farmers was conducted in two common bean-growing districts in northern Tanzania. The aim was to assess farmers’ knowledge, perceptions, current management practices and challenges in order to develop sustainable weed and insect pest management strategies. The results revealed that 83% of farmers perceived insect pests as the major constraint in common bean production, while 73% reported weeds as the main drawback. Insect pest management was mainly achieved through the use of synthetic pesticides, however, only 24% of farmers were able to apply, the rest could not afford due to high cost, limited access and lack of knowledge. Only 6.5% of farmers were aware of non-chemical methods and 2.1% did not practice any method in managing insect pests, both in the field and during storage. Moreover, farmers generally relied on experience in managing insect pests and weeds, and about 43% did not see the need to consult extension officers. These findings indicate that there is a need to sensitize and train farmers on the sustainable methods for pest and weed management in common bean farming systems in northern Tanzania.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmers’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices in Managing Weeds and Insect Pests of Common Bean in Northern Tanzania

2019

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“…Identifying and prioritizing issues and problems of farmers in observing the safety and health tips in agriculture are of major importance. Analysis of the factors influencing farmers' behavior in different areas of health and safety is essential [24]. However, research on farmers' behavior in pesticide use is relatively limited in the literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of Personal Safety in Agriculture: A Case Study with Pesticide Operators

2019

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Agriculture is a hazardous occupational industry for farmers and farm workers; therefore, decisions to improve safety in the working place require understanding behavior of farmers and farm workers and factors affecting it. This study examined factors influencing perceived importance of personal safety and safe behavior of farmers in terms of personal protective equipment (PPE) use in pesticide spraying. Data were collected from a previous survey of farmers in rural areas of northern Greece. Over half of the farmers (55.4%) perceived low importance of personal safety in pesticide spraying. Perceived importance of personal safety increased in young farmers, with high education level, and large land area as well as with high perception of risk, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, seminar in pesticide use, access to internet, and perceived usefulness of PPE. Most farmers showed unsafe behavior in PPE use in terms of using long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical resistant gloves, socks, and shoes (58.9%). Farmers perceived low risk of pesticides (65.2%), despite the fact that two out of three farmers (66.1%) perceived high usefulness of PPE. Safe behavior in pesticide use increased in young farmers, with high education level, and small land area as well as with high perception of risk, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, seminar in pesticide use, access to internet, and perceived usefulness of PPE. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that knowledge of pesticide toxicity, education, age, and farm size were significant predictors of perceived importance of personal safety. In addition, self-confidence in spraying, following colleagues’ behaviors, risk perception, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, and farm size were significant predictors of safe behavior in terms of PPE use during pesticide spraying. Findings highlight differences in how farmers perceive personal safety and how they finally respond in daily action with respect to personal safety measures. Perception of risk, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, and farm size were common significant predictors for both variables. Lifelong education targeting promotion of knowledge about pesticide risks among farmers should be always a priority.

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“…However, farmers' attitudes towards proper pesticide handling is not well known yet [31]. In fact, further studies on behavioral factors in pesticide use, including risk perception, are of major importance for effective risk management [32]. To address these issues, a human-centered approach is needed with the aim of investigating the different phases that characterize the work activities [33,34].…”

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confidence: 99%

Applying Hierarchical Task Analysis to Depict Human Safety Errors during Pesticide Use in Vineyard Cultivation

2019

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The use of pesticides in agriculture is a significant problem at a global level, not only from an environmental perspective but also from the farmers’ health and safety point of view. In the literature, several studies have discussed the safe behavior and risk perception of farmers. However, human errors when dealing with pesticides and the related work equipment are rarely considered. To reduce this research gap, a study of the human safety errors in pesticide use based on hierarchical task analysis is proposed. In particular, such a bottom-up approach was applied to vineyard cultivation and considered all the activities that operators carry out when using pesticides. The results of this study showed that most of the identified human errors were action errors, i.e., potential failures of the operator in completing the activity successfully. In addition, retrieval and checking errors resulted in being rather common. These outputs shed light on the gap between the information received and the practical need for operators to reduce their failure to perform specific activities. Therefore, while the present study augments current knowledge on the safe use of pesticides, further research is needed to address human errors in agricultural activities, thus extending these results to a larger sample size as well as to other cultivation types.

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Farmers' behaviour in pesticide use: A key concept for improving environmental safety

Cited by 78 publications

References 24 publications

Farmers’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices in Managing Weeds and Insect Pests of Common Bean in Northern Tanzania

Farmers’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices in Managing Weeds and Insect Pests of Common Bean in Northern Tanzania

Drivers of Personal Safety in Agriculture: A Case Study with Pesticide Operators

Applying Hierarchical Task Analysis to Depict Human Safety Errors during Pesticide Use in Vineyard Cultivation

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