Farmers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions Regarding Carcinogenic Pesticides in Fez Meknes Region (Morocco)

Zineb Ben Khadda, Mustapha Fagroud, Yahya El Karmoudi, Said Ezrari, Imane Berni, Marc De Broe, Tapan Behl, Simona Gabriela Bungau and Tarik Sqalli Houssaini
Additional contact information
Zineb Ben Khadda: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Research in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30050, Morocco
Mustapha Fagroud: Department of Agronomy, National School of Agriculture, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Yahya El Karmoudi: Laboratory of Ecology, Biodiversity and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tetouan 93000, Morocco
Said Ezrari: Faculty of Science and Technology, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30050, Morocco
Imane Berni: Cluster of Competencies “Health and Environment”, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50050, Morocco
Marc De Broe: Laboratory of Pathophysiology, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
Tapan Behl: Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab 140401, India
Simona Gabriela Bungau: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410028 Oradea, Romania
Tarik Sqalli Houssaini: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Research in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30050, Morocco

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Pesticides play an important role in the improvement of agricultural production, but their use may result in adverse effects on the environment, consumers, and farmers’ health. As there are limited data focusing on the factors influencing safety behavior toward pesticide use in Morocco, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 15 rural communities of Morocco’s Fes Meknes region to assess the attitudes, knowledge, and practices regarding pesticide use. A structured questionnaire was completed, containing the data of the interviewed farmers, their behavior towards safety measures, the type of active ingredient used, as well as the perception of risks to their own health following exposure to pesticides by the existence of chronic, self-perceived symptoms. Non-probability (empirical) sampling with the quota method was carried out, which consists of constructing the sample. Results showed that most respondents have not been trained in the application of pesticides, with almost half of the farmers using a category of pesticides which are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as probable human carcinogenic (i.e., Glyphosate, Malathion). In terms of pesticide storage, 40% of farmers said that they did not store pesticides in a separate room after purchasing or using them. The empty containers were buried or burnt by half of the responders, while the remainder were thrown at the edge of fields or in public dumps. Although the participants were aware of the negative effects on their own health and on the environment caused by the application of pesticides in use, the protection measures by individual equipment were insufficient. A canonical analysis indicates that these behaviors were influenced by the farming experience, the benefit of the agricultural council services, the follow-up of training, and the education level. These variables are important factors in explaining and understanding the dangers to both the environment and health caused by pesticides. The most recorded likely consequences of pesticide exposure were visual impairment (46%), followed by dizziness (44.3%), headache (39.4%), and excessive sweating (34.4%), and 30.2% of participants identified consequent respiratory problems. Extension services targeted at safety and protection measures should be developed and accompanied by educational programs to put farmers’ perceptions into practice and encourage them to adopt healthy and environmentally friendly behaviors.

Keywords: farmer; survey; knowledge; behavior; carcinogenic pesticides; personal protection equipment; Morocco (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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