Health Effects And Pesticide Perception As Determinants Of Pesticide Use : Evidence From Bangladesh

Abstract

In a recent survey of 820 Boro (winter rice), potato, bean, eggplant, cabbage, sugarcane and mango farmers in Bangladesh, over 47% of farmers were found to be overusing pesticides. With only 4% of farmers formally trained in pesticide use or handling, and over 87% openly admitting to using little or no protective measures while applying pesticides, overuse is potentially a very threatening problem to farmer health as well as the environment.To model pesticide overuse, we used a 3-equation, trivariate probit framework with health effects and misperception of pesticide risk as endogenous dummy variables. Health effects (the 1 st equation) were found to be strictly a function of the amount of pesticides used in production, while misperception of pesticide risk (the 2 nd equation) was determined by health impairments from pesticides and the toxicity of chemicals used. Pesticide overuse (the 3 rd equation) was a significantly determined by variation in income, farm ownership, the toxicity of chemicals used, crop composition and geographical location.The results highlight the necessity of policymakers to design effective and targeted outreach programs which deal specifically with pesticide risk, safe handling and averting behavior. Ideally, the approach would be participatory in nature to address key informational gaps, as well as increasing a farmers' awareness retention. The results also point to specific crops and locations experiencing a higher prevalence of overuse -bean and eggplant in general, and overall production in the districts of Chapainawabganj, Chittagong, Comilla, Jessore, Narshingdi, Rajshahi and Rangpur. Focusing efforts in these crop and geographical areas may have the most measurable effects on pesticide overuse.

Determinants of Pesticide Use in Food Crop Production in Southeastern Nigeria

“…In contrast, Rahman [25,26] noted significantly positive influence of education on pesticide use in Bangladesh. However, Idris et al [24], Rahman [4], and Dasgupta et al [33] did not find any significant influence of education on pesticide use in Bangladesh. The implication is that the influence of education on pesticide use is somewhat mixed in the literature.…”

An Appraisal of Arsenic and Pesticide Toxicity for Economically Terminal People: a Snap Shot of North-Western Part of Bangladesh

“…Information about the quantity and the identity of all types of pesticides those have been using in this country is virtually unavailable [8][9][10][11]. One important issue can be noticed that many pesticides are being used or still being produced in this country are already banned and/or restricted under international agreements [12,13] e.g., DDT for instance [14][15][16]. On the other hand, statistical database called 'FAOSTAT' of Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) of United Nations (UN) can provide some reasonable data for the country [17] but conflicting information can be noticed from the above cited sources [8][9][10][11].…”

Effects of insecticides on aquatic ecosystems in Bangladesh

“…They also reported some short-term diseases such as skin diseases, eye diseases, gastro-intestinal diseases, and urinary and reproduction impairment, probably related to pesticide use. Another study including 821 farmers among 11 districts in Bangladesh showed some negative symptoms after pesticide application such as headache (27%), dizziness (8%), eye irritation (26%), skin disease (13%), vomiting (9%) and other multiple diseases (Dasgupta et al, 2005 For instance, the government should launch education programs for farmers. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the largest agro-based public organization, is mainly responsible for providing extension services through Sub-Assistant Agricultural Officer (SAAO), a person who live in the farming village and visits local farms individually and in group meetings.…”

“…As a consequence, pesticides are being used to protect rice crops from pests, herewith improving rice crop yields and the quality of the product (Ansara-Ross et al, 2012;Rahman, 2013). As in many developing countries, the government has promoted the use of pesticides to increase agricultural yields in Bangladesh (Dasgupta et al, 2005). Pesticide consumption in Bangladesh has dramatically increased from 7,350 metric tons in 1992 to 45,172 metric tons in 2010 (Hasan et al, 2014).…”

“…Dasgupta et al, 2005;Meisner, 2004); however, only one study has investigated pesticide use in rice-prawn concurrent systems (Hasan et al, 2014). The study by Hasan et al (2014), however, did not investigate the potential aquatic risks of pesticides applied in these systems, and neither reported the impacts of pesticide use on farmers' health.…”