Socio-economic determinants of vegetable farmers' awareness of safety measures in pesticide use in Jere local government area, Borno state, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the socio-economic factors influencing awareness on pesticide use and safety measures by the vegetable farmers in Jere Local Government Area, Borno State. The specific objectives were to identify the socio-economic characteristics of vegetable farmers, determine the level of awareness on pesticide use and safety practices among vegetable farmers, and determine the factors influencing vegetable farmers' awareness on pesticide use and safety measures. A two-stage sampling technique was employed to select eighty-five vegetable farmers across thirteen wards of the local government. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used for the analysis. The study revealed that most of the farmers were between the age of 26 and 35 years (36%) with the majority having household size of 6 to 10 members (44%) and farm size of less than 10 acres (61%). Majority (64%) of the farmers were aware of pesticide safety use and practices (64%). Fellow farmers were the major source of information on pesticide safety use and practices (48%). The major factors that influenced awareness among the farmers were age, household size and farm size. Therefore, it is recommended that farmers' awareness on disposal of pesticide containers, mixing of pesticides should be raised through regular workshops and symposia.

Keywords: Awareness, Pesticide, Vegetables, Factors.