Farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pesticide use in apple farms of northern Iran: impact on safety behavior

The role of market in motivating farmers to reduce pesticide use: Evidence from vegetable farms in Shiraz

The overuse of pesticides has harmful impacts on both the environment and human health. Implementing efficient techniques is crucial to manage pesticides and reduce negative impacts effectively. In order to achieve this objective, we evaluated the harm of pesticide application in vegetable fields in Shiraz and identified the factors that impact farmers' behavior in using pesticides. The Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) indicator was initially utilized to evaluate the effects of pesticide residues on both human health and the environment. Afterwards, the Logit model was employed to investigate the likelihood of excessive pesticide usage among farmers. Our findings suggest that farmers may not give high importance to environmental and human health considerations when deciding on pesticide usage. Market incentives, such as the quantity and price of vegetables produced without pesticide use, play a significant role in reducing pesticide use in Shiraz vegetable farms. The results of the study can help policy makers in implementing pesticide-free agricultural practices.

Application of the theory of planned behavior to model the intention and behavior of tomato growers in pesticide exposure

Widespread and indiscriminate use of pesticides has become one of the most important environmental and public health problems around the world. This study was conducted with the aim of applying the theory of planned behavior model to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of tomato growers in the face of pesticides in agricultural lands located in Kurdistan province, western Iran. We included 300 tomato growers in this study and they filled up a standard TPB questionnaire containing questions about basic information, knowledge, attitude and behavior about pesticides and their actions for disposing of the residual spray solution, washing place of pesticide sprayer, and the disposal of water from washing the equipment. Most of the respondents, 86.7 %, had not participated in promotional classes on how to dispose of the residual solution. Approximately 46.15, 38.46, and 15.39 % of pesticides contained moderately toxic, slightly toxic and practically non-toxic compounds, respectively. More than two-thirds (89 %) of the tomato growers stated that they leave the water from washing the equipment in the field. In addition, among the three variables of TPB, attitudes had the highest score (3.38), which indicated the positive to relatively neutral attitude of farmers towards the safe use of pesticides. These findings can be useful for planners and environmental organizations to make effective interventions to reduce environmental pollution caused by pesticides. Since the incorrect use of pesticides is one of the important environmental and health factors, education and awareness programs can help farmers to consider the correct use of pesticides and environmental protection more.

Small-scale market gardeners' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the use of chemical pesticides in the Kabare territory (South-Kivu) in Eastern D.R. Congo

Damage caused by pests and diseases is one of constraints on crop production for food security. Based on the use of questionnaire and interviews that were conducted in Kabare territory (South-Kivu), this study was carried out to (i) assess farmers practices, attitudes, and knowledge about pesticides use, and (ii) assess the human health and physical environment effects using pesticides. Data was collected from 300 small-scale farmers in study area. Results showed that majority of our respondents were men (59 %) rather than women (41 %) and local knowledge of pesticide use was low (60 %). Education level had a significant influence (p < 0.01) on level of knowledge about pesticide use, time and dose of treatment, method of control, and persistence time. In addition, education level influence significantly farmers' attitudes before and after pesticide treatment (p < 0.05). Pest management control, time of pesticide application, and packaging management method varied significantly with level of local knowledge (p < 0.01). Pesticides use by small-scale farmers has an effect on water, soil, and air quality. It also causes human pathologies such as vomiting, eye irritation, and even loss of life in event of heavy exposure. Inhalation and dermal exposure are main and most dangerous routes of pesticide exposure in our study area, which lacks protective strategies. Finally, use of pesticides disrupts biodiversity through the disappearance of pollinators, predators, parasitoids, and soil microorganisms. Therefore, broad continuity of this study with integration of other scientific aspects would effectively contribute to the improvement of environmental quality.

Risk perception and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in pesticide use: does risk shape farmers' safety behavior?

Risk perception and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in pesticide use were studied in 109 farmers of northern Greece. Farmers differed in the levels of pesticide risk perception, with 26.6% showing very low and low levels, 34.9% showing moderate levels, and 38.5% showing high and very high levels. Pesticide risk perception was positively correlated with education and large cultivated area, but negatively with age and non-farming as a main profession. Most farmers (82.6%) showed adequate use of PPE (mostly face mask and gloves). The use of PPE was positively correlated with education and risk perception, but negatively with age and non-farming as a main profession. Farmers with high levels of risk perception used 1.3 and 2.6 times more PPE items than those with moderate and low levels of risk perception, respectively. High education was a positive predictor, whereas main profession other than farming was a negative predictor of PPE use.

Factors affecting safe pesticide-use behaviors among farm plant agriculturists in northeastern Thailand

BACKGROUND

Pesticide poisoning is a major public health problem in Thailand and is the result of intensive inappropriate and unsafe use of pesticides. This analytical cross-sectional study aimed to determine the factors affecting safe pesticide-use behaviors among farm plant agriculturists in northeastern Thailand.

METHODS

The study sample included 427 farm plant agriculturists in Loei Province, northeastern Thailand. Individuals were randomly selected by a multistage random sampling technique. The following data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 8 parts: (1) sociodemographic characteristics, (2) knowledge about pesticide use, (3) perceived severity of impact from pesticide use among farm plant agriculturists, (4) perceived susceptibility to pesticide use, (5) perceived self-efficacy in the modification of safe pesticide-use behaviors, (6) perceived outcome of the modification of safe pesticide-use behaviors, (7) social support, and (8) safe pesticide-use behaviors. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and multiple regression analyses were employed for data analysis.

RESULTS

The majority of participants (79.4%) had high scores for safe pesticide-use behaviors among farm plant agriculturists (scores of 112-150). Factors that significantly affected safe pesticide-use behaviors included knowledge about pesticide use (β = 0.282), social support (β = 0.217), reading information from pesticide labels before pesticide use (β = 0.207), perceived self-efficacy (β = 0.186), female sex (β = -0.140), rice farmer status (β = 0.129), corn farmer status (β = 0.127), perceived susceptibility (β = 0.126), having received information from the internet (β = -0.124), and perceived severity (β = -0.098). Together, these 10 factors were found to explain 32.5% of the safe pesticide-use behaviors among farm plant agriculturists.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that there is a need to increase the number of promotional activities related to the safe use of pesticides through social support and training, with the aim of increasing the overall level of knowledge, perceived self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility, and modification of the perceived impact severity of pesticide use. Thus, relevant agencies should promote and support the safe use of pesticides by farm plant agriculturists. This study revealed that the factors affecting safe pesticide-use behaviors among farm plant agriculturists included knowledge about pesticide use, social support, reading pesticide container labels, perceived self-efficacy in the modification of pesticide-use behaviors, sex, rice farmer status, corn farmer status, perceived susceptibility to pesticide use, having received information from the internet, and perceived severity of impact from pesticide use.

Safety behavior in pesticide use among farmers of northern Greece: the role of information sources

BACKGROUND

Farmers' compliance with common safety practices in pesticide use (i.e., keeping records of pesticide applications, reading the information of pesticide labels, and taking protective measures during pesticide handling) and the use of information sources about pesticides were studied in a simple random sample of farmers in Evros Province, northern Greece.

RESULTS

According to the three common safety practices considered in the study, most farmers (56.9%) complied with safety practices. Nevertheless, a noticeable proportion of the farmers never kept records of pesticide applications (33.9%), never read the information of pesticide labels (20.2%), and never took protective measures during pesticide handling (24.8%). Farmers reported using up to six different sources of information about pesticides, but the majority (51.4%) reported using up to one source and almost one-third (33.9%) relied on own sources. The most common information source about pesticides was the staff of the agricultural supply stores, used by 88.1% of the farmers. Safety behavior was positively correlated with total sources of information (P < 0.01) and information by the agricultural supply stores (P < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed that safety behavior was reduced in females, whereas it was increased in farmers with high education, high number of plots, and high level of information sources.

CONCLUSION

Despite good levels of safety behavior by most farmers, keeping records of sprayings should be improved. Using multiple information sources about pesticides is crucial to improve safety behavior of farmers. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Research on the recycling and disposal of Chinese pesticide packaging waste based on evolutionary game theory

This study aims to determine the optimal strategy and driving factors of the critical nodes of pesticide packaging waste recycling by constructing the recycling process of "village collection-town transport-county management." Counties, towns, and villages are the central nodes of collection, coordination, and communication in the recycling process. Their strategy selection and influencing factor analysis are related to the development of recycling. The county processing center, township transit center, and village recycling center were selected to construct a game model, and strategy and parameter assumptions were made to obtain the optimal strategy combination. The results showed that strict supervision, professional transportation and strict implementation are the best strategies for counties, towns and villages, respectively. Simulation analysis confirmed that factors such as cost, reward restricted the strategy selection of each subject. The higher the supervision, transport, and input costs, the lower the enthusiasm of counties, towns, and villages to participate in recycling, respectively. Reasonable control of reward could help each participant choose a stable strategy. The study provided the idea of a pilot before promotion for the government and emphasized the importance of controlling incentive policies and relative costs to improve the recycling process of pesticide packaging waste.

Determination of multi-class pesticide residues in food commodities from Gujarat, India and evaluation of acute and chronic health risk

An increasing concern for food safety has drawn attention to the overuse of pesticides, which pose a risk to public health. The present study determined 61 pesticide residues in 120 samples of cauliflower, green chili, cucumber, grapes, bananas and mangoes samples, and these were collected from markets in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surendranagar, Anand and Sabarkantha districts of Gujarat state, India. The samples were extracted and analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-q-TOF-MS) and Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). In addition, the health risk assessment associated with pesticide residues were evaluated by calculating the Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI), which indicate a value of less than 1 is safe for consumption. Out of 61 pesticide residues, 29 residues were detected in 107 samples; 68 samples showed multiple residues, and 39 samples found a single residue. Pesticides such as dimethoate, λ-cyhalothrin, fenvalerate, bifenthrin, and cyfluthrin were frequently detected in samples. HI in adults and adolescents confirmed a value less than 1 in cauliflower, cucumber, grapes and mango samples and greater than 1 in green chili and banana samples, respectively. The overall results depicted that, no considerable risk was observed in the selected food commodities. However, green chili and banana samples were found to exhibit marginal risk to human health. As a result, proper application, implementation of control plans, and continuous monitoring are required to prevent the risk and safeguard human health.

Farmer advisory systems and pesticide use in legume-based systems in West Africa

Despite the adverse effects of pesticides on the environment and human health, they are a key ingredient in boosting agricultural productivity as a way of meeting global food demand. While global levels of pesticides are towering in high-income countries, pesticide use in many parts of Africa remains low, with significant impacts on agricultural productivity and food production. We use a rich longitudinal dataset to examine the relationship between farmer advisory systems and pesticide use in legume-based production systems in Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. We find that farmers who are advised by private extension systems are approximately 8 % more likely to use pesticides at an extensive level. They also use pesticides more intensively (41 %). On the other hand, farmers advised by public extension systems are about 5 % more likely to extensively use pesticides. These farmers are observed to reduce the intensive use of pesticides by about 14 %. Furthermore, we also show that farmers advised by joint private-public extension systems are about 4 % more likely to use pesticides as well as reduce their intensity of use by approximately 11 %. At the various country levels, there exists significant heterogeneity in the relationship between advisory systems and pesticide use, suggesting that context matters. Of course, the pesticide regulatory systems and the institutional environments in these countries vary greatly. Given these findings, our study offers key entry and leveraging points for increasing pesticide use at levels that limit their environmental and human effects but may ascertain increased agricultural productivity and food production.

Pesticide Use Practice and Associated Factors Among Rural Community of Malga District, Sidama Regional State, South Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, like that of the other developing countries, pesticides are widely used for a variety of purposes, but their unsafe use causes a major environmental and health hazard. The aim of this study was to assess pesticide use practice and its associated factors among the rural community of Malga district, Sidama region, southern Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2021 at Malga District. Data were collected from 549 farmers by a structured and pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Binary and multivariable logistic regression was used for the data analysis. Adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the association between safe practices of pesticide use and several related factors. Safe practice of pesticide use was observed in 193 (35.2%). The participants who had primary education [AOR = 5.605, 95% CI: 3.309, 9.495], secondary education and above [AOR = 9.847, 95% CI: 5.007, 19.368], used pesticide for 10 years and above [AOR = 6.790, 95% CI: 3.589, 12.843], used pesticide between 6 and 10 years [AOR = 1.913, 95% CI: 1.166, 3.141] pesticide bought from any shop [AOR = 2.320, 95% CI: 1.364, 3.947], agricultural office [AOR = 7.187, 95% CI: 3.654, 14.137] were associated with safe use of pesticides. The safe practice of pesticide use was low in the study area. Continuous training programs should be implemented on the safe practice of pesticide use to the local farmers.

Risk cognition, agricultural cooperatives training, and farmers' pesticide overuse: Evidence from Shandong Province, China

Introduction

Pesticides are widely and excessively used in the world. Reducing pesticide overuse is an important measure to protect the environment and human health.

Methods

Based on the survey data of 518 farmers in Shandong Province, China, using the Logit model to empirically test the effect of risk cognition on farmers' pesticide overuse behavior and the moderating effect of cooperatives training on the effect of risk cognition on farmers' pesticide overuse behavior.

Results and discussion

We found that 21.24% of farmers overused pesticides. The three dimensions of risk cognition have significant negative effects on farmers' behavior of excessive pesticide use, among which the human health risk cognition has the largest impact (0.74), followed by food safety risk cognition (0.68) and ecological environment risk cognition (0.63). Cooperatives training has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between risk cognition and pesticide overuse behavior, that is, when risk cognition matches farmers participating in cooperatives training, the effect on reducing pesticide overuse is more significant. Years of education, planting scale and detection frequency of pesticide residues have significant effects on farmers' pesticide overuse.

Conclusions

The government should help farmers reduce pesticide overuse by improving risk cognition, developing agricultural cooperatives and perfecting guarantee conditions.

What motivates farmers to adopt low-carbon agricultural technologies? Empirical evidence from thousands of rice farmers in Hubei province, central China

Low-carbon agriculture is essential for protecting the global climate and sustainable agricultural economics. Since China is a predominantly agricultural country, the adoption of low-carbon agricultural technologies by local farmers is crucial. The past literature on low-carbon technologies has highlighted the influence of demographic, economic, and environmental factors, while the psychological factors have been underexplored. A questionnaire-based approach was used to assess the psychological process underlying the adoption of low-carbon agricultural technologies by 1,114 Chinese rice farmers in this paper, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was empirically employed to test our theoretical model. The results indicated that farmers' low-carbon production attitude and behavioral efficiency perception directly and positively affected the adoption of low-carbon agricultural technologies and indirectly affected it via low-carbon production intention. Besides, production implementation cost and socio-environmental factor could moderate the direct effects of low-carbon production attitude, behavioral efficiency perception, and low-carbon production intention on farmers' adoption of low-carbon agricultural technologies. In this respect, socio-environmental factor yielded more significant moderating effects. Additionally, this research provides policy implications for promoting low-carbon agricultural technologies in developing countries and regions.

Impact of farmer professional cooperative on safety production behavior in terms of quality and safety of agricultural products

"How to realize farmers to actively produce quality and safety agricultural products" has become a common problem faced by researchers and practitioners. Based on the Triadic Reciprocal Determinism theory and Behavior-motivation theory, the study tries to answer this question from the perspective of standardized farmer professional cooperatives in China, and then solve relevant international problems. The empirical results of 767 sample data using SPSS-AMOS methods show that the restraint factors of standardized farmer professional cooperative have positive effects on safety negative behavior and negative impact on safety positive behavior, and the motivation factors of standardized farmer professional cooperatives have positive effects on safety positive behavior. The restraint factors of farmer professional cooperatives have a positive impact on safety controlled motivation and negative impact on safety autonomous motivation, and the motivation factors of farmer professional cooperatives positively affect the safety autonomous motivation. The safety controlled motivation positively affects safety negative behavior and safety autonomous motivation negatively affects safety negative behavior and positively impacts on safety positive behavior. The above findings theoretically make a useful supplement to the study of farmers' safety production behavior, and have guiding significance to the construction of standardized farmer professional cooperatives in the world.

Ratchet effect in veterinary antibiotic use by contract farmers from the perspective of production risk: Implications for public health

The current indiscriminate use of antibiotics for veterinary is irresponsible and misguided; it causes antibiotic resistance and adversely affects public health. The terms "habit" and "path dependence" are often used to explain the "excessive" use of agrochemicals. Yet, no research explored where the habit comes from and how it changes. This study investigates how veterinary antibiotic use changed with the production risk based on the multi-period production data set of 1,526 broiler contract farmers. The results show that the production risk has a ratchet effect on farmers' antibiotic use, leading to path dependence of farmers. Specifically, it showed a farmers' habit of steadily increasing antibiotic use and confirmed that the historical broilers' peak mortality was a key determinant to the continuation of this habit. It implies that higher the historical peak mortality, higher the current antibiotic use by farmers. Likewise, the impact of historical peak mortality on antibiotic use gradually increased with the farming experience. The increased historical peak mortality increased farmers' antibiotic use every time. Furthermore, large-scale farmers were more sensitive to historical peak mortality and therefore they increased antibiotic use excessively. The study suggests that improving farmers' production risk management capabilities, especially large-scale farmers, might help prevent extreme events. Moreover, this work contributes to the theoretical and empirical evidence on the ratchet effect, habit formation and farmers' antibiotic use and offers coherent insights for stakeholders to limit antibiotic use.

Influencing factors of and driving strategies for vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior

At present, the phenomenon of excessive pesticide residues in vegetables is prominent, causing widespread concern among all sectors of society. Excavate the influencing factors in the farmers themselves, government, market and society that affect vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior, clarify the influence mechanism of influencing factors on vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior. The study includes two parts: First, Grounded theory is used to construct a conceptual model that illustrates vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior. The second part applies the structural equation modeling to verify the research hypotheses, and reveals various factors in vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior (GB). The Results: Behavioral attitude (BA) and behavioral feedback perception (BP) are precursor variables that determine vegetable farmers' green pesticide application motivation (GM), and thus affect vegetable farmers' GB. Government supervision and regulation (GR), and market adjustment guidance (MG) are external factors that regulate the strength of the relationship between GM and GB. It is necessary to further strengthen the reference and normative role of society in vegetable farmers' GB, and provide a driving strategy for vegetable farmers' GB. Thus, it can better improve the quality of pesticide application and ensure vegetable safety.

Driving mechanism of subjective cognition on farmers’ adoption behavior of straw returning technology: Evidence from rice and wheat producing provinces in China

Straw burning is one of the important causes of environmental pollution in rural China. As an important green production technology, straw returning is beneficial to the improvement of rural environment and the sustainable development of agriculture. Based on the improved planned behavior theory, taking the survey data of 788 farmers in Shandong, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan provinces as samples, this paper uses a multi-group structural equation model to explore the driving mechanism of subjective cognition on the adoption behavior of farmers’ straw returning technology. The results show that behavioral attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, which represent subjective cognition, all have significant driving effects on farmers’ intention to adopt straw returning technology. Behavioral intention plays a mediating role in the process of subjective cognition driving farmers’ adoption behavior of straw returning technology. Government support has a moderating role in the path from farmers’ behavioral intention to behavioral response. The subjective cognition of different types of farmers has a significant driving effect on the adoption intention of straw returning technology, but the driving strength weakens with the increase of the degree of farmers’ concurrent occupation. This study provides guidance for improving the government’s straw returning policy and regulating straw returning behavior.

Attitudinal behaviour of agriculturalists towards pesticide use in Pir Panjal Range of Kashmir Himalayas

BACKGROUND

Attainment of safety during pesticide spraying relies on the farmer's knowledge of pesticide use, attitude and sense of safety. However, such investigations are insufficient in the current study area.

METHODS

The study is based on a primary survey of 384 orchardists about the myriad of aspects affecting the use of pesticides and their subsequent effects.

RESULTS

The study revealed that knowledge, attitude, and perception had a weighted average index (WAI) and a standard deviation (SD) of 2.85 ± 1.17, 3.55 ± 1.34, and 3.81 ± 0.98 correspondingly. The findings reflect the farmers have a low to moderate level of knowledge, a moderate attitude toward pesticides, and a favourable perception on their utilization. Thus, for farmer personal protective equipment (PPE) use, it scored 2.77 ± 0.90 on the WAI scale, indicating that most farmers use PPEs 'rarely to occasionally' and that none use full protective gear. Furthermore, attitude and PPE usage exhibited a negative relationship with age, as younger people use PPE more than older ones. The findings were consistent for both farming experience and PPE usage. Moreover, there exists a positive association between age with perception and farming experience, knowledge with perception and PPE use, and attitude with perception.

CONCLUSIONS

The coefficient of determination (R²) shows that 67.2% of the variability in farmers' PPE use was attributed to factors including knowledge, attitude, perception, and education. A favorable behavioral shift in pesticide usage may be achieved by enhancing farmers' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions, and adequate PPE usage.

Substitution or complementarity: why do rice farmers use a mix of biopesticides and chemical pesticides in China?

BACKGROUND

Although scholars have become increasingly concerned about finding ways to encourage more farmers to use biopesticides and fewer to use chemical pesticides, few studies have investigated the prevalence of Chinese rice farmers' mixed use of biopesticides and chemical pesticides for pest management.

RESULTS

Based on a household survey in Hubei Province, China, this study found that 59.18% of the sample rice farmers used a mix of biopesticides and chemical pesticides. There is mainly a complementarity relationship between rice farmers' decision to use biopesticides and chemical pesticides. The pursuit of multiple production purposes is the main reason why farmers decide on the mixed-use of pesticides. Specifically, farmers generally tend to use biopesticides to ensure food safety for consumption, and chemical pesticides to reduce costs for profitability. The decision of farmers to mix pesticides has led to an increase of pesticide varieties and costs. However, it reduces the frequency of pesticide use, and does not result in a significant increase in rice yield and output value.

CONCLUSION

While food safety should be emphasized in working towards greater use of biopesticides, rice farmers' mixed use of biopesticides and chemical pesticides will remain for a long time until the biotechnology is more developed. In fact, programs that investigate the effects of a combination of biopesticides and chemical pesticides should be implemented to achieve pesticide reduction, because biopesticides and chemical pesticides have specific disadvantages. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

The role of crop insurance in reducing pesticide use: Evidence from rice farmers in China

Pesticides play a significant role in increasing agricultural yields. However, the overuse of chemical pesticides on crops is a major challenge faced by China, which damages human health, threatens food security, and increases production costs. This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between crop insurance and pesticide use. Based on micro-survey data collected from 3410 households, we estimate a control function (CF) approach and find that farmers who purchase crop insurance use 33.30% lower pesticides than those who do not. A series of robustness tests confirm these findings. The results of the moderating effect analysis suggest that rice cultivation training, experience, schooling years, and agricultural laborers can negatively moderate the effect of crop insurance on pesticide use. Furthermore, we also find that the treatment effect of crop insurance is stronger for farmers who are most inclined to purchase crop insurance.

Evaluation of pesticide residues and risk assessment in apple and grape from western Azerbaijan Province of Iran

West Azerbaijan, especially the city of Urmia, is the center of Iranian apple and grape production hence the importance of this, residues of 85 pesticides in these products were investigated using modified QuEChERS extraction followed by UHPLC-MS/MS technique. Residues of 17 different pesticides detected in some apple samples. In grape sample only 7 pesticides detected. The levels of the residues found in all apple and grape samples were below the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of Iran, except for iprodione. Health risk assessment associated with pesticide residues in apples and grapes were estimated by hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI), which indicated that the HI value was lower than 1 in adults and children due to apple and consumption. HI in adults and children were 0.012 and 0.054 in apple; 0.001 and 0.003 in grape samples, respectively. Although the health risk assessment showed that the consumers are not at considerable risk but due to pesticide residue, implement control plans to manage the proper application of this pesticide, or replace it with safer alternatives in apple and grape is required.

The degradation of residual pesticides and the quality of white clover silage are related to the types and initial concentrations of pesticides

In order to understand the degradation of different residual pesticides of white clover silage and their influence on silage quality, three commonly used orchard pesticides with different concentrations were added to the white clover and fermented for 90 days. The results showed that the degradation rate of cypermethrin and its toxic degradation product 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) was the highest after silage, at different concentrations, both were 100%. The degradation rate of Tebuconazole and chloropyridine was 72.47-80.27% and 47.76-64.82%, of which 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) content, poisonous toxic degradation product, increased 0.0525-0.253 mg·kg^-1. The residues of beta-cypermethrin and tebuconazole had reached safety standards after silage. As compared with the control, the contents of lactic acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid increased in the treated samples. The higher concentrations of three pesticides all significantly reduced the lactic acid content of silage (p<0.05). Pesticides had different effects on the nutritional components of white clover silage. Conclusively, silage is a potential way to expand the utilization of covering plants in orchards.

Occupational hazards, health costs, and pesticide handling practices among vegetable growers in Pakistan

Disregarding protective measures when handling pesticides in agricultural production imposes increased health risks and health costs on farmers as well as degrades the natural ecosystem. In Pakistan, where agriculture is the prime occupation in rural communities, there is overwhelming evidence of indiscriminate use of hazardous pesticides by farmers without taking adequate precautions. Using cross-sectional data, we examined personal protection and health costs to vegetable growers due to pesticide exposure and determinants of farmers' pesticide handling practices. The theory of averting behavior was used, and the possible factors affecting farmers' adoption of safety equipment and of disposal methods for pesticide containers were estimated using a logit model. Health effects (P < 0.05) and farmers' protection and health costs (P < 0.01) are found as important determinants of farmers' adoption of safety equipment and of disposal methods for pesticide containers. The mean protection and health cost of pesticide exposure per farmer per vegetable season in 2019 was US $3.60. Analytical outcomes indicate that safe and recommended pesticide handling practices are needed to be introduced through adequate integrated pest management (IPM) training programs and by improving farmers' formal education. Thus, creating awareness through IPM training programs among vegetable growers and enhancing formal education to encourage the adoption of precautionary measures and safe disposal methods for pesticide containers may reduce health risks and health costs. Findings imply that adoption of adequate pesticide handling practices would further help reduce occupational hazards and promote sustainable agriculture in Pakistan.

Pest control ability, technical guidance, and pesticide overuse: evidence from rice farmers in rural China

Pesticide overuse is still prevalent in many developing countries. And improving farmers' pest control ability is considered to be the key to achieve pesticide reduction. Based on the survey data of 822 rice farmers from Hubei, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces in the Yangtze River Basin, we demonstrated the impact of pest control ability and technical guidance on farmers' pesticide overuse. We find that rice farmers' insufficient pest control ability does not necessarily lead to pesticide overuse, which depends on whether there is external technical guidance. The technical guidance of government agrotechnical stations and pesticide retailers can weaken pesticide overuse caused by lack of personal ability. In terms of sample, variable and method substitution, the above estimated results are still robust. In addition, we find that different subjects and links of pesticide technical guidance will bring different impacts. The technical guidance of agrotechnical stations mainly plays a role in the time and type of pesticide application, while the pesticide retailers mainly play a role in the time and dosage of pesticide application. This paper emphasizes that strengthening the guidance and regulation of pesticide technology guidance subject is also an efficient way of pesticide reduction. This will help to improve the effect of agricultural extension and accelerate the realization of pesticide reduction target in China.

Assessment of respiratory exposure to cypermethrin among farmers and farm workers of Shiraz, Iran

Cypermethrin, a member of the synthetic pyrethroids group, is a popular insecticide used to eliminate a broad range of common bugs in agricultural lands and households. However, studies of farmers' exposure to this insecticide are limited. The present study aimed to measure the respiratory exposure to cypermethrin among farmers and farm workers of Shiraz, as one of the biggest cities in Fars province, Iran. Totally, nine target regions were selected, where 42 individual samples were taken using XAD-2 sorbents and were analyzed by gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). This is the first study on farmers' exposure to insecticides during spraying in Iran. The average concentration of cypermethrin vapor in farmers' respiratory area during spraying was 0.982 ± 0.421 mg/m³, which was lower than the permitted threshold value for cypermethrin recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The mean time-weighted average (TWA) was also evaluated in two distinct occupational groups (tree operators and field operators). The exposure was significantly higher in tree operators than in field operators. A direct correlation was also found between the height of the workers and the amount of cypermethrin (Spearman's r = 0.555). Findings support that farm workers' respiratory exposure to cypermethrin was within the permissible range, but this situation cannot guarantee workers' safety. Total respiratory exposure and skin exposure studies are recommended in future research.

Farmers' behavior towards safe pesticide handling: An analysis with the theory of planned behavior

Inappropriate handling of pesticides in agriculture poses a major risk to the environment and human health, but factors affecting farmers' behavior are diverse and often unclear. The present study examined farmers' behavior in safe pesticide use (disposal of spray solution leftovers, places for washing sprayers, disposal of rinsates, and use of personal protective equipment) in Ardabil Province, Iran by applying the well-known theory of planned behavior, which states that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of individuals shape intention and engagement in a specific behavior. Almost 30% of the farmers threw pesticide spray solution leftovers away, while the remaining farmers kept it for next spraying. Concerning place for washing sprayers, 55.3% of the farmers washed sprayers in their home yard, 21.0% washed them in the river or the canal flow, and 14.7% washed them in the water source of the farm. Just less than two-thirds (64.3%) of the farmers said that they leave the rinsates onto the farm, while almost one-third (34.0%) said that they pour the rinsates into the river or the canal flow. Most farmers used trousers and blouse and to a lesser extent mask, gloves, and hat when handling pesticides. Attitudes towards safe pesticide use showed the highest mean score (2.91), illustrating neutral to relatively negative attitudes of farmers towards safe pesticide use. Intention showed the lowest mean score (2.28), indicating poor motive to use pesticides safely. Attitudes showed positive impact, while perceived behavioral control showed negative impact on intention. Subjective norms had no significant impact on intention. These three constructs totally explained 78.1% of the variance in farmers' intention towards safe pesticide use. Improving attitudes and perceived behavioral control of farmers towards safe pesticide use through extension education should be targeted for improving farmers' intention and behavior towards safe pesticide handling.

Factors affecting the willingness of agricultural green production from the perspective of farmers' perceptions

In the context of increasingly tight resource and environmental constraints, understanding why and how farmers were willing to engage in agricultural green production (AGP) had become a major practical issue that needed to be answered to promote sustainable development of agricultural economy. This study collected first-hand data of 645 grain growers and used structural equation model (SEM) to explore the impacts of farmers' perceptions on AGP willingness focusing on perceived value and its antecedent factors, namely perceived benefits and perceived risks. Results showed that perceived value and perceived benefits had significantly positive impacts on AGP willingness, while the impacts of perceived risks was significantly negative. Furthermore, it was found that although the direct effect from perceived value (0.364) on farmers' AGP willingness was greater than perceived benefits and perceived risks, the decisive factor that ultimately played a key role in AGP willingness was farmers' perceived benefits (0.501). This was because perceived value played an actively mediating role of 23.1% in the path from perceived benefits to green production willingness. Besides, the multi-group analysis (MGA) found that the variable 'whether to join a cooperative or not' had a positively moderating effect on the relationship between farmers' AGP perceived value and willingness. Meanwhile, the variable 'joining cooperative group' (0.552) had a greater impact on the perceived value-green production willingness path of farmers' AGP than the variable 'non-joining cooperative group' (0.251), which indicated that farmers' AGP willingness could be enhanced by joining a cooperative. This study provides some enlightenment and reference for policy makers and practitioners to design or adjust programs related to reducing rural environmental pollution and implementing AGP.

The power of habit: does production experience lead to pesticide overuse?

The influence of farmers' production experience on pesticide overuse is empirically analyzed by an endogenous switching probit model of pesticide use time, type, and dosage, based on survey data of 836 rice farmers in the Yangtze River Basin of China. We find that farmers' production experience is an important cause of pesticide overuse, especially for small-scale farmers. Older, self-sufficient, small-scale, non-cooperative members and rice farmers with distant market towns are more likely to use pesticides based on their personal experience. In terms of pesticide use time, type, and dosage, 35.26%, 30.10%, and 28.52% of the samples, respectively, relied on a decision based on "experience." Among them, farmers' decision-making based on production experience for pesticide type and dosage are the key causes of pesticide overuse. These results will be helpful for reducing pesticides and correcting farmers' "bad habits" within agricultural ecosystems.