Factors Affecting the Adoption of Agrochemical Safety Measures among Crop Farmers in Southern Agricultural Zone of Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study identified the factors affecting the adoption of agrochemical safety measures among crop farmers in the Southern Agricultural Zone of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study include; identifying the rate of awareness of agrochemical safety measures, to identify adoption level of agrochemical safety measures and to determine the effect of socio-economic characteristic on the adoption of agrochemical safety measures. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 220 crop farmers for the study. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data and data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The Result of the study revealed that farmers in the area were aware of the following agrochemical safety measures: avoid eating and drinking when using agrochemicals/bathing after spraying (85%), washing spraying clothes separately from other clothes (74%), and danger of ingestion/inhalation of agrochemicals (70%) among others. Also, results on the adoption of agrochemical safety measures show that 50% of the respondents adopted on a high scale level, 38% adopted on a medium scale and 12% adopted on a low scale. Level of education, extension contact, farm size, and household size were the socio-economic characteristics that had un influence on the adoption of agrochemical safety measures in the area. It is therefore recommended that extension workers should intensify un enlightenment campaign on the danger of exposure to agrochemicals in order to achieve full adoption of agrochemical safety measures by crop farmers.