Farmers’ Perception On The Impact Of Pesticides In The Vegetable Value Chain In Bangladesh

Md. Mehedi Hasan, S. M. Moin Uddin Ahmed, Khatun E. Jannath, Md. Azizur Rahman

Abstract


The increasing use of chemical pesticides across the country to ensure good crop yields in Bangladesh have posed risks to food safety, human health and the environment.  A cross-sectional study was conducted in four Upazilas of four different districts, namely Khetlal Upazila under Joypurhat district, Mithapukur Upazila under Rangpur district, Narsingdi Sadar Upazila and Jashore Sadar Upazila and data were collected from those areas. Pre-tested questionnaires, KII checklists and FGD questions were used to collect data from the field. Interviews revealed that 89.50% of farmers did not use formal personal safety equipment (PSE). As a result, farmers faced different types of health hazards like itching (65.20%) and headache (64.30%) followed by body pain (58.55%). Besides, 72.30% of farmers considered that pesticides killed a certain group of beneficial organisms which is harmful to the ecosystem. Moreover, 64.50% of farmers believed that pesticides reduced soil fertility and 79.20% wondered that pesticides contaminated water and kill fish and other aquatic species when they reach the water bodies.

Keywords


Pesticides, impact, environment, personal safety equipment and value chain.

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.52155/ijpsat.v28.2.3509

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