A structured questionnaire was used with the cacao farmers
and supplemented with oral interviews. The administration
of the questionnaire was preceded by a meeting with the
traditional ruler, Baale, and the cocoa farmers’ representatives
in each community to explain the rationale behind the
study and solicit their cooperation and that of their community
members. Information sought in the questionnaire was
related to insecticide use and perception of safety measures:
(1) the farmers’ personal characteristics; (2) insect pests of
cacao and the insecticides used for their control; (3) insecticide
application procedure, and training and experience in the
handling of insecticide and application equipment; (4) and
habits during and after spraying, use of protective clothing,
storage of unused stock and disposal of empty insecticide
containers, frequency of application, use of insecticide for
crop storage, and symptoms of discomfort experienced after
spraying. This was supplemented with clarifications during
the oral interviews as required. For instance, unused stock
and used insecticide containers were requested and used to
identify the various types of insecticides. Because most of
the farmers were illiterate, the questionnaire was translated
into the local language (ie Yoruba), taking care to retain
the original meaning. All the questions were presented in a
multiple-choice format for the respondents to give the appropriate
answer or multiple answers as applicable. Questionnaires
were administered through oral interviews with the
farmers.