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. 2024 Dec 16;11(1):e41013.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e41013. eCollection 2025 Jan 15.

Pesticide safety behavior among vegetable farmers in Bangladesh: Evaluating the role of market aggregation services

Ismat Ara Begum  1 , Mohammad Jahangir Alam  2 , Bhavani Shankar  3 , Gregory Cooper  3 , Karl Rich  4 , Tamanna Mastura  1 , Panam Parikh  5 , Nazmun N Ratna  6 , Suneetha Kadiyala  7
Affiliations

Pesticide safety behavior among vegetable farmers in Bangladesh: Evaluating the role of market aggregation services

Ismat Ara Begum et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Pesticide use in Bangladesh is disproportionately high in vegetable farming compared to other crops like cereals, pulses, and cash crops. This study delves into the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding pesticide use among vegetable farmers, focusing on the impact of a digital aggregation service implemented by Digital Green. Based on interviews with 120 vegetable farmers in the LOOP aggregation scheme and 120 non-LOOP vegetable farmers this study indicates that the farmers using the aggregation service have a moderately higher level of food safety knowledge. LOOP farmers scored higher in pesticide safety knowledge (67.83 %) compared to non-LOOP farmers (55 %). Regarding pesticide safety attitudes, LOOP farmers scored 17.39 %, while non-LOOP farmers 4.17 %, reflecting a generally poor attitude toward pesticide application. Regarding practices, 65.55 % of LOOP farmers adhered to scientifically sound methods, compared to 43.10 % of non-LOOP farmers. Although participation in the LOOP program significantly influenced farmers' pesticide-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices, this study still identifies the need for targeted interventions and training to improve food safety practices among both groups.

Keywords: Bangladesh; LOOP aggregation; Pesticides; Vegetables.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(a) Study area map of Jashore district (red); (b) Jashore District's Upazilas.
Appendix Fig. 1
Appendix Fig. 1
Path analysis of the causal relationships among farmer's knowledge and socio-economic factors, including participation in the Loop program Notes: KNOWLEDGE = knowledge related to vegetable food safety; HEDU = household education; OLAND = land ownership (yes = 1, no = 0); HT = time to harvesting after using pesticides; GROUP = farmers' participation in the Loop program (yes = 1, no = 0); FEXP = farmer's experience in relation to ensuring safety (yes = 1, no = 0).
Appendix Fig. 2
Appendix Fig. 2
Path analysis of the causal relationships among farmer's attitudes and socio-economic factors, including participation in the Loop program Notes: ATTITUDE = farmers' attitude regarding vegetable food safety; HEDU = household education; OLAND = land ownership (yes = 1, no = 0); TRAINING = farmers received training (yes = 1, no = 0); GROUP = farmers' participation in the Loop group (yes = 1, no = 0); FK = farmers' knowledge concerning safety issues (yes = 1, no = 0).
Appendix Fig. 3
Appendix Fig. 3
Path analysis of the causal relationships among farmer's practices and socio-economic factors, including participation in the Loop program Notes: PRACTICES = farmers' practices in relation to vegetable food safety; HEDU = household education; TRAINING = farmers having received training (yes = 1, no = 0); OLAND = ownership of land (yes = 1, no = 0); GROUP = farmers' participation in the Loop group (yes = 1, no = 0); FEXP=Farmers' experience in ensuring safety (yes = 1, no = 0).
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