Occupational safety knowledge, attitude, and practice among farmers in northern nigeria during pesticide application—a case study

Abstract

Pesticides are known human and environmental toxicants, with an estimated 3 million cases of pesticide poisoning happening every year globally, resulting in more than 250,000 deaths. According to the existing literature, different pesticides groups are readily used among farmers in Nigeria. With recent developments around commercial farming, crop damage from pests, etc., this has led to higher consumption of pesticides among the farming community. The lack of product knowledge and safety awareness among this group further exposes them to the effects of pesticides. The study aims to measure Northern Nigerian farmers’ safety knowledge, awareness, and practices related to pesticide application. A cross-sectional study using an online survey questionnaire was adopted to generate responses from 524 farmers across the north-central and northeastern region of the country. Farmers’ attitudes towards pesticide use were driven by high crop yield, as 35.4% strongly agree that pesticide use is indispensable for high crop yield. The frequent use of empty pesticide containers for other secondary uses on the farm or at home, as confirmed by 30.6% of the participants, also presents safety and health concerns. Farmers’ age (p > 0.038) influenced pesticide containers use for other secondary purposes. In contrast, education attainment (p < 0.001) significantly influenced the use of pesticide containers for other farm or domestic uses. Farmers’ safety behaviours are influenced by socioeconomic factors, including educational level, age, and years of farm practice experience. The study concludes on the need to develop an approach that will help strengthen capacity-building programmes and enhance knowledge base initiatives around the adoption of non-synthetic pesticides.