Assessment of Occupational Safety Concerns in Pesticide Use Among Small-Scale Farmers in Sagana, Central Highlands, Kenya
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Date
2011
Authors
Mureithi, P.
Waswa, F.
Kituyi, E.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Small-scale farmers in Sagana area of
central Kenya constitute a population at risk due
to intensive use of pesticides in the production of
mainly horticultural crops for commercial purposes.
This chapter examines the main causes of pesticide
hazards and risks, barriers to taking risk reduction
measures and cues to adopting safety behaviour when
dealing with pesticides. Data were collected by the
use of interviews conducted in 2006/2007 from a sample
of 140 farmers. Perception scales were developed
from interview items and were ranked along a modified
three-point Likert scale. Analysis of the items
and scales showed that farmers had fairly high levels
of perceived risk, perceived severity and perceived
benefits of taking action to mitigate pesticide hazards.
Results from this study showed that farmers are still
susceptible to pesticide-related dangers notably due to
resignation to fate, perceived high cost of purchasing
protective gear and lack of adequate training in the
use and handling of pesticides. Further, contrary to
conventional thinking, farmers' education had limited
positive effect to safety behaviour when handling pesticides.
The challenge to policy and practice towards
safe use of pesticides lies in issues of farmers' economic
survivability, perceptions and attitudes, along
the whole chain from pesticide procurement, storage,
farm application and disposal.
Description
Book chapter
Keywords
Intensive farming, Pesticides, Occupational safety, Environmental health
Citation
Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa