Determinants of Farmers' Level Awareness on Pesticide Use in a Selected Region in Bangladesh

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate farmers' awareness level of pesticide use in the study area and to pursue the relationship between the selected characteristics of the respondents and their awareness level of pesticide use. A mixed-method approach was used in which qualitative and quantitative analyses were blended rationally to have in-depth Knowledge and understanding of research problems. The area of Dumki Upazila under Patuakhali district in Bangladesh was selected for conducting this study successfully. The simple random sampling technique was used to select 110 farmers engaged in various types of crop production using multiple pesticides. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a pretested interview schedule from April 15 to June 30, 2020. Descriptive statistical measurement and the software SPSS were used to analyze collected data. The results of the Pearson's Product Moment correlation coefficient identified that, among the independent variables, only six variables such as training received, percentages of land ownership, communication exposure, yearly household income, risk orientation, and Knowledge of pesticide use had a positive and significant relationship on farmers' level of awareness of pesticide use. At the same time, the stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated that four variables, such as Knowledge of pesticide use, communication exposure, risk orientation, and training received, had a positive and significant contribution to the farmers' awareness of pesticide use. These four variables also explained 54.55% of the farmers' total variation in awareness level.