Effect of excessive use of agrochemicals on farming practices: Bangladesh perspectives

Abstract

Agrochemicals are the part and parcel of modern farming practices. The study attempted to explore the effects of excessive use of agrochemicals oin farming practices. A structured questionnaire and face-to-face interview were conducted in collecting data from randomly selected 150 farmers of Satkhira sadar upazila under Satkhira district of Bangladesh during November 2022. The perceived effect of excessive use of agrochemicals was the focus variable whereas the selected socio-economic attributes of the participants were chosen as explanatory variables. The effect of overuse of agrochemicals was assessed employing a 4-point rating scale and ranked by calculating perceived effect index while the independent variables were measured using appropriate scoring techniques and scales. The findings revealed that, majority (48.7%) of the respondents perceived high positive effects of excessive use of agrochemicals on farming practices while a large portion (59.3%) of them perceived medium negative effects. It was also found that, the most positive effect perceived was increase productivity and cropping intensity (91.8%) while the worst effect was perceived as poisonous to human, animal, and soil microorganisms (82.7%). The results also explored that the main cause of overuse of agrochemical is provision of higher yield (94.7%) whereas the best management practice suggested by the farmers was agricultural training (95.3%). However, perceived effect of agrochemical usage was found positively correlated with respondents’ educational qualification, farming experience, agricultural training, extension media contact, knowledge, and awareness. So, appropriate strategies along with sustainable farming system is crucial to protect our environment and save our upcoming generations.