Factors Influencing Compliance to Agrochemical Safety and Health Practices Among Maize Farmers in Kogi State Nigeria

Abstract

The modern industrial agriculture has created an array of ecological and equity problem through the introduction of agrochemical. Agrochemical use has been on in use in both developing and developed nation with unsafe and indiscriminate practices which pose major risk to the environment and human health globally, the purpose of this study was to determine determine the factors influencing the levels of compliance to agrochemical safety and health practices among maize farmers in Kogi State Nigeria. In order to achieve the study objectives, 4- stage sampling procedure was used to select 166 maize farmers. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire, complimented with interview schedules, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, and Ordered Probit regression model. Based on the findings of the research, it was found that maize cultivation was a male dominated enterprise (83.73%), and mean household size was 6 persons. About 91.3% of the maize farmers use fertilizer during the cause of farming with radio and extension agents as their major source of information on available agrochemical. Result of the Ordered Probit regression model shows that marital status, education, farm size membership of association, credit and labour where the factors influencing level of maize farmers compliance to agrochemical safety and health practices in the study area. The study recommends that women should be encouraged by government and non-governmental organizations and should be given equal opportunities in accessing production inputs in order to excel in their maize farming activities. Maize farmers should be motivated by government and non-governmental organizations to join farmer’s associations in order to increase their access to loan facilities while extension agents which are the major sources of information on agrochemical safety practices should educate maize farmers in the study on the risks associated with agrochemical use and how to prevent such risk..