Vegetable farmers’ knowledge on pesticides use in Northwest Ghana
Philip Aniah (),
Millar Katherine Kaunza-Nu-Dem,
Philemon Puordeme Dong-Uuro (),
Joseph A. Ayembilla () and
Issaka Kanton Osumanu
Additional contact information
Philip Aniah: University for Development Studies
Millar Katherine Kaunza-Nu-Dem: University for Development Studies
Philemon Puordeme Dong-Uuro: Innovations for Sustainable Rural Development-ISRD
Joseph A. Ayembilla: Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies
Issaka Kanton Osumanu: University for Development Studies
Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2021, vol. 23, issue 5, No 34, 7273-7288
Abstract:
Abstract The prevalence of widespread problems of insect pests and diseases has resulted in high demand for pesticides application in vegetables farming in Ghana. Studies on pesticides use in Ghana have primarily focused on pesticide toxicity, health risk, pesticides residues and contamination level, with limited attention to smallholder farmers’ actual pesticide use practices, especially in the Upper West Region. This article assesses the avenues through which farmers access pesticides, their knowledge and actual pesticides use practices. The application of the social practice approach permits the linking of farmers’ lifestyles and the systems of pesticides provision and offers a holistic and grounded perspective on pesticides governance. We collected data from farmers, agro-chemical dealers and state actors through in-depth interviews and observations. The findings suggest that farmers indiscriminately use pesticides: wrong doses, poor storage, neglecting safety precautions, avoiding the use of protective equipment and inappropriate disposal of empty containers. The social practice approach has demonstrated that farmers’ pesticides use practices are greatly influenced by state-run actors, the system of provision, individual lifestyle characteristics and the daily circumstances in which pesticides are being purchased and applied. Paying attention to farmers’ knowledge and understanding as well as the system of pesticides provision could possibly ensure sustainable pesticides use. Revitalizing traditional farming practices and possible integration with current agriculture practices can enhance the sustainability of the agrarian sector.
Keywords: Agrochemicals use; Safety precautions; Social practice approach; Sustainable agriculture; Vegetable farming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)
Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-020-00916-6 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:endesu:v:23:y:2021:i:5:d:10.1007_s10668-020-00916-6
Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/10668
DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-00916-6
Access Statistics for this article
Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development is currently edited by Luc Hens
More articles in Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().