3.3. Pesticides usage knowledge and risk prevention
strategies
Table 5 lists the types of pesticides used by farmers
during the period of this study. Farmers used 13 different
pesticides (seven insecticides, three fungicides and three
herbicides). What was most alarming was that 42.2%
of them were using methyl-parathion which is considered
extremely hazardous by the WHO classification
and whose use has been banned in the European Union.
Methyl-parathion is considered by farmers as one
of the most effective products for pest control. A total of
64.5% of farmers reported using deltamethrin, which
according to the WHO classification is considered
moderately toxic.
Our data also showed that herbicide usage is increasing.
This is likely to be because it is cheaper to use this product
than hire additional labor during weeding (see Table 1).
Use of pesticides for vegetable production is relatively
new in the area; 84.7% of farmers declared having less than
10 years of pesticides use and 59.2% had used pesticides
from 1 to 5 years. An important finding was that 83.2% of
the farmers were unaware that there are human and
environmental risks associated with pesticide use.
Pesticide application is performed manually with hydraulic
spray atomizers. Pesticide dilution occurred mostly
on river margins. Insecticides and fungicides were often
mixed and applied together to reduce the time spent on
product application.
One problem perceived and reported by farmers was that
if equipment is not washed after mixed product application,
it can lead to crop loss. For this reason, most farmers
(84%) currently wash their equipment by the rivers before
and after application. Inadequate practices of container
disposal such as disposing near their homes and into the
river were reported by 54.8% of farmers (see Table 5). The results one gets’’. Therefore, pesticide spraying frequency
ranged from once every 3 days to once a week. Products
were often sprayed just before or just after harvest because
of the belief that this strategy would conserve vegetables
until delivery to the market. This failure to observe the
minimum intervals between pesticide application and sale
must pose risks to public health in Manaus and makes it
particularly urgent that the pesticide problem be solved in
rural areas of Amazonas State.
Pesticides were kept mostly in a storage area together
with agricultural tools (46.6%). But many farmers store the
products inside their homes (28%), a practice that
increased the risk of accidental poisoning by family
members (see Table 6).
Farmers have their own strategy to deal with new pests
and unsuccessful pest control. When a pesticide is not
effective for a given pest, the product is replaced by a
‘stronger product’ of high toxicity, disregarding whether
the new product is appropriate for a given crop or not.
No farmers reported using the recommended safety
equipment. It is considered too expensive and too
uncomfortable to use under local climatic conditions.
However, most farmers considered it important to wear
trousers, long-sleeved shirts, boots and hats during
pesticide application (Table 7). Bathing after application
was reported by 67.1% of farmers, 31.9% carry on
working in the field as normal after pesticide spraying.
Farmers reported applying pesticides following wind
direction to protect them against the product’s smell.
3.3. Pesticides usage knowledge and risk prevention
strategies
Table 5 lists the types of pesticides used by farmers
during the period of this study. Farmers used 13 different
pesticides (seven insecticides, three fungicides and three
herbicides). What was most alarming was that 42.2%
of them were using methyl-parathion which is considered
extremely hazardous by the WHO classification
and whose use has been banned in the European Union.
Methyl-parathion is considered by farmers as one
of the most effective products for pest control. A total of
64.5% of farmers reported using deltamethrin, which
according to the WHO classification is considered
moderately toxic.
Our data also showed that herbicide usage is increasing.
This is likely to be because it is cheaper to use this product
than hire additional labor during weeding (see Table 1).
Use of pesticides for vegetable production is relatively
new in the area; 84.7% of farmers declared having less than
10 years of pesticides use and 59.2% had used pesticides
from 1 to 5 years. An important finding was that 83.2% of
the farmers were unaware that there are human and
environmental risks associated with pesticide use.
Pesticide application is performed manually with hydraulic
spray atomizers. Pesticide dilution occurred mostly
on river margins. Insecticides and fungicides were often
mixed and applied together to reduce the time spent on
product application.
One problem perceived and reported by farmers was that
if equipment is not washed after mixed product application,
it can lead to crop loss. For this reason, most farmers
(84%) currently wash their equipment by the rivers before
and after application. Inadequate practices of container
disposal such as disposing near their homes and into the
river were reported by 54.8% of farmers (see Table 5). The results one gets’’. Therefore, pesticide spraying frequency
ranged from once every 3 days to once a week. Products
were often sprayed just before or just after harvest because
of the belief that this strategy would conserve vegetables
until delivery to the market. This failure to observe the
minimum intervals between pesticide application and sale
must pose risks to public health in Manaus and makes it
particularly urgent that the pesticide problem be solved in
rural areas of Amazonas State.
Pesticides were kept mostly in a storage area together
with agricultural tools (46.6%). But many farmers store the
products inside their homes (28%), a practice that
increased the risk of accidental poisoning by family
members (see Table 6).
Farmers have their own strategy to deal with new pests
and unsuccessful pest control. When a pesticide is not
effective for a given pest, the product is replaced by a
‘stronger product’ of high toxicity, disregarding whether
the new product is appropriate for a given crop or not.
No farmers reported using the recommended safety
equipment. It is considered too expensive and too
uncomfortable to use under local climatic conditions.
However, most farmers considered it important to wear
trousers, long-sleeved shirts, boots and hats during
pesticide application (Table 7). Bathing after application
was reported by 67.1% of farmers, 31.9% carry on
working in the field as normal after pesticide spraying.
Farmers reported applying pesticides following wind
direction to protect them against the product’s smell.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..