Pesticide safety behavior among cocoa farmers in Nigeria: Current trends and determinants

There is a strong link between pesticide exposure risk and farmers’ safety behavior. However, there is a lack of understanding of farmers’ safety behavior in pesticide use and the psychological factors that influence it, especially in Nigeria. This study aimed to identify safety behaviors in pesticide use and their determinants among cocoa farmers in Nigeria using the Health Belief Model (HBM). We used a suitable questionnaire to retrieve data from 391 cocoa farmers across three major cocoa-producing belts in Nigeria. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings showed that cocoa farmers in this study sprayed insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides on their cocoa farms. The study revealed that most pesticides were not approved for cocoa production by the authority, but the farmers were still using them. The study participants overused surveyed pesticides as the quantities applied were beyond the recommended dosage by the manufacturers. Correlation analysis showed a relationship between education status, pesticide training, perceived susceptibility and cue to action, and the farmers’ pesticide overuse. In all, 42.7% of the farmers showed unsafe behaviors, 49.1% showed intermediate behaviors, and just 8.2% reported safe behaviors in pesticide use. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that perceived barriers, susceptibility, self-efficacy, and cue to action were related to age, education status, and farm experience and accounted for 59.3% of the total variance in the farmers’ pesticide safety behaviors. Perceived barriers had the most significant negative influence on the farmers’ behaviors, while perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, and cue to action positively influenced the farmers’ behavior. Future intervention programs in Nigeria incorporating significant variables, especially perceived barriers, in their designs with proper implementation could be more effective.