The present study deduced the potential risks to the environment as a result of pesticide handling in the Nanumba-North Municipality of the Northern Region of Ghana. Cluster sampling was used to select 30 communities from Nanumba-North Municipality. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling were used respectively to select 7 households from each community and one farmer from each household, giving a sample size of 210 farmers. The instrument used for the study was a questionnaire of respondents. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study concluded that 11 types of pesticides are commonly used by the farmers on their fields, with atrazine (22%) being the most commonly used pesticide which is an herbicide, and deltamethrin (1%) was the least used pesticide which is an insecticide. The study, therefore, recommends that appropriate authorities in the area should inculcate means to enlighten farmers on the best way of pesticide utilization that can beef up the ambition of sustainable agricultural production and desirable environmental conditions.
References
[1]
Horna, D., Smale, M., Al-Hassan, R., Falck-Zepeda, J. and Timpo, S.E. (2008) Insecticide Use on Vegetables in Ghana: Would GM Seed Benefit Farmers? International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
[2]
Kwakye, M.O., Mengistie, B., Ofosu-Anim, J., Nuer, A.T. and Van den Brink, P.J. (2018) Pesticide Registration, Distribution and Use Practices in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 21, 2667-2691.
[3]
Xiao, Y.M., Wang, J.A., Wang, M.A., Liu, J.P., Yuan, H.Z. and Qin, Z.H. (2010) Study on the Inclusion Complexes of Flumorph and Dimethomorph with β-Cyclodextrin to Improve Fungicide Formulation. Journal of Chemical Society of Pakistan, 32, 363-369.
[4]
Rahaman, M.M., Islam, K.S. and Jahan, M. (2018) Rice Farmers’ Knowledge of the Risks of Pesticide Use in Bangladesh. Journal of Health & Pollution, 8, Article ID: 181203. https://doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-8.20.181203
[5]
Ntow, W.J., Gijzen, H.J., Kelderman, P. and Drechsel, P. (2006) Farmer Perceptions and Pesticide Use Practices in Vegetable Production in Ghana. Pest Management Science, 62, 356-365. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.1178
[6]
Boateng, K.O., et al. (2023) Knowledge, Perception, and Pesticide Application Practices among Smallholder Cocoa Farmers in Four Ghanaian Cocoa-Growing Regions. Toxicology Reports, 10, 46-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2022.12.008
[7]
Ejobi, F., Kanja, L.W., Kyule, M.N., Müller, P., Krüger, J. and Latigo, A.A.R. (1996) Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Mothers’ Milk in Uganda. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 56, 873-880. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001289900127
[8]
Bassil, K.L., Vakil, C., Sanborn, M., Cole, D.C., Kaur, J.S. and Kerr, K.J. (2007) Cancer Health Effects of Pesticides: Systematic Review. Canadian Family Physician, 53, 1704-1711. https://www.cfp.ca/content/53/10/1704.long
[9]
Sanborn, M., Kerr, K.J., Sanin, L.H., Cole, D.C., Bassil, K.L. and Vakil, C. (2007) Non-Cancer Health Effects of Pesticides: Systematic Review and Implications for Family Doctors. Canadian Family Physician, 53, 1712-1720. https://www.cfp.ca/content/53/10/1712.long
[10]
Jurewicz, J. and Hanke, W. (2008) Prenatal and Childhood Exposure to Pesticides and Neurobehavioral Development: Review of Epidemiological Studies. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 21, 121-132.
[11]
Buczyńska, A. and Szadkowska-Stańczyk, I. (2005) Identification of Health Hazards to Rural Population Living Near Pesticide Dump Sites in Poland. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 18, 331-339.
[12]
Ghana Statistical Service (2012) 2010 Population and Housing Census: Summary Report of Final Results. http://www.statsghana.gov.gh/gssmain/storage/img/marqueeupdater/Census2010_Summary_report_of_final_results.pdf
[13]
Williamson, S., Ball, A. and Pretty, J. (2008) Trends in Pesticide Use and Drivers for Safer Pest Management in Four African Countries. Crop Protection, 27, 1327-1334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2008.04.006
[14]
WHO (2010) The WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard and Guidelines to Classification: 2009. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44271
[15]
Wilson, C. and Tisdell, C. (2001) Why Farmers Continue to Use Pesticides despite Environmental, Health and Sustainability Costs. Ecological Economics, 39, 449-462. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(01)00238-5
[16]
Atreya, K., Sitaula, B.K. and Bajracharya, R.M. (2012) Pesticide Use in Agriculture: The Philosophy, Complexities and Opportunities. Scientific Research and Essays, 7, 2168-2173. https://doi.org/10.5897/SRE10.107
[17]
Rao, C.H.S., Venkateswarlu, V., Surender, T., Eddleston, M. and Buckley, N.A. (2005) Pesticide Poisoning in South India: Opportunities for Prevention and Improved Medical Management. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 10, 581-588. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2005.01412.x
[18]
Adams, R.W. (1995) Handbook for Pesticide Applicators and Dispensers, 5th Edtion, BC Environment, Victoria.
[19]
Coble, J., Arbuckle, T., Lee, W., Alavanja, M. and Dosemeci, M. (2005) The Validation of a Pesticide Exposure Algorithm Using Biological Monitoring Results. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2, 194-201. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459620590923343
[20]
Ritter, L. and Arbuckle, E. (2007) Can Exposure Characterization Explain Concurrence or Discordance between Toxicology and Epidemiology? Toxicological Sciences, 97, 241-252. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfm005
[21]
Ajayi, O.C. and Akinnifesi, F.K. (2007) Farmers’ Understanding of Pesticide Safety Labels and Field Spraying Practices; A Case Study of Cotton Farmers in Northern Cote d’Ivoire. Scientific Research and Essays, 2, 204-210.
[22]
Relyea, R.A. (2005) The Lethal Impacts of Roundup and Predatory Stress on Six Species of North American Tadpoles. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 48, 351-357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-004-0086-0
[23]
Pain, D.J., Gaigi, R., Cunningham, A.A., Jones, A. and Prakesh, V. (2004) Mortality of Globally Threatened Sarus Cranes Grus antigon from Monocrotophos Poisoning in India. Science of the Total Environment, 326, 55-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2003.12.004
[24]
PAN International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (PAN List of HHPs) (2021) Pesticide Action Network International, Hamburg. http://pan-international.org/wp-content/uploads/PAN_HHP_List.pdf
[25]
Alexander, D.E. and Fairbridge, R.W. (1999) Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. In: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences, Springer, Dordrecht.
[26]
Dinham, B. (1993) The Pesticide Hazard: A Global Health and Environmental Audit. Zed Books, London.
[27]
Dinham, B. (2003) Growing Vegetables in Developing Countries for Local Urban Populations and Export Market: Problems Confronting Small-Scale Producers. Pest Management Science, 59, 572-582. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.654
[28]
Owusu-Boateng, G. and Amuzu, K.K. (2013) A Survey of Some Critical Issues in Vegetable Crops Farming along River Oyansia in Opeibea and Dzorwulu, Accra-Ghana. Global Advanced Research Journal of Physical and Applied Sciences, 2, 24-31.
[29]
Jamali, A.A., Solangi, A.R., Memon, N. and Nizamani, S.M. (2014) Current Scenario of Pesticide Practices among Farmers for Vegetable Production: A Case Study in Lower Sindh, Pakistan. International Journal for Development and Sustainability, 3, 493-504.
[30]
Sharma, N. and Singhvi, R. (2017) Effects of Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides on Human Health and Environment: A Review. International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology, 10, 675-679. https://doi.org/10.5958/2230-732X.2017.00083.3
[31]
Wilkson, M. (2005) Personal Protective Equipment for Pesticide Applicators. Montana State University, Bozeman.
[32]
Remoundou, K., Brennan, M., Hart, A. and Frewer, L.J. (2014) Pesticide Risk Perceptions, Knowledge, and Attitudes of Operators, Workers, and Residents: A Review of the Literature. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 20, 1113-1138. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2013.799405
