Perceptions of pesticide use and health risks among apple growers in Kashmir Himalaya

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundUnderstanding the patterns of pesticide use is important in protecting the environment and farmer's health for improvement of sustainability in chemical pest control. Studies on the knowledge and awareness of pesticides by farmers are often incomplete. Therefore, our study aimed at investigating the awareness and knowledge of pesticides from a detailed survey of 394 apple growers in the Kashmir Himalaya.ResultsThe study revealed that farmers have inadequate knowledge and awareness about pesticides. About 47.2% of the farmers are choosing pesticides based on the efficiency of the pest/pathogen control, 38.1% are choosing pesticides based on the cost of the product, and 14.7% of the farmers are choosing pesticides based on ease of availability. Most of the farmers rated the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as not important. The farmers believed that the use of pesticides is the only way of controlling the pest outbreaks that ultimately led to reckless spraying of pesticides. Our results revealed that farmers are spraying pesticides without protective gears and inappropriate dumping of pesticides and their containers, risking the health of humans and the environment. Almost 96% of the farmers feel burning and irritation to the eyes and skin, headache, and vomiting due to pesticide spraying. The results of this research work accentuate the requirement to educate apple growers about the adequate and safe use of pesticides to avoid risks to public and environmental health.ConclusionThe study concludes that farmers are significantly impacted by the use of pesticides. Ineffective actions of pesticide dealers, government regulations, and illiteracy of farmers are the main causes of the reckless use of pesticides. Therefore, special attention should be paid towards sustainable approaches of pesticide spraying and use of safety gears like personal protective equipment, for protection of human and environmental health.