Assessing Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Safe Pesticide Use among Farmers and Farmhands in Rural Tamil Nadu – A Community-based Cross-sectional Study
Rachel Immanuel, Latif Rajesh Johnson, Antony L. Arakkal, Benjy Tom Varughese, Mousumi Sen, Biswajit PaulAbstract
Introduction:
Nearly 70% of India’s population resides in rural areas, and a substantial proportion depends on agriculture for livelihood. The increasing reliance on chemical pesticides to enhance crop yield has significantly raised the risk of acute and chronic health effects. Despite these risks, unsafe handling, storage, and disposal of pesticides remain widespread in rural agricultural settings, largely due to inadequate awareness and limited access to protective resources.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding safe pesticide use among farmers and farmhands and to identify factors associated with their KAP levels.
Materials and Methods:
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 randomly selected farmers and farmhands from 10 panchayats of a rural block. Data were collected using a pilot-tested semi-structured questionnaire assessing KAP related to pesticide safety. Statistical analysis was used to determine associations between sociodemographic variables and KAP scores.
Results:
Overall, 75.5% of participants had inadequate knowledge of safe pesticide use. Nearly 25% were unaware of any personal protective equipment, while only 18.5% knew the correct methods for pesticide storage. Adequate knowledge was significantly associated with age (
Conclusion:
Although attitudes toward pesticide safety were generally positive, knowledge and safe practices were suboptimal among farmers and farmhands. Community-based education, improved access to protective equipment, and supportive regulatory and technological interventions are urgently needed to reduce occupational exposure and promote safer agricultural practices.