Health and environmental impacts of pesticide use practices: a case study of farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Commonly used pesticides and handling practices which might expose farmers and their environment to chemical hazards were investigated in the Irepodun/Ifelodun local government area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Direct field observations and answers to a structured questionnaire from a random sample of 150 farming households showed that commonly used pesticides comprised herbicides (48.3 per cent), fungicides (28.2 per cent) and insecticides (23.5 per cent). Of these, 86.7 per cent are classified as 'highly' hazardous by the World Health Organization (WHO) and have been banned or restricted in many developed countries. Nearly all of the farmers (94.7 per cent) had received no formal training in safe pesticide use and mixed different products. Farmers suffered from discomforts ranging from eye irritation (91.3 per cent), skin problems (87.3 per cent), nausea (86.0 per cent), headache (83.3 per cent) and vomiting (58.0 per cent). More than half of the pesticide applicators (61.3 per cent) sprayed pesticides near water bodies. Only a few farmers reported decreasing trends in numbers of beneficial insects (27.3 per cent) and other animals (29.3 per cent). The results showed that the awareness of farmers and authorities needs to be raised regarding the use of protective equipment and correct procedures when handling pesticides and, also, that there should be stricter enforcement of existing pesticide regulation and monitoring policies to minimize the threats that the farmers' current practices pose to their health and to the environment.