Pesticide Use and Risk Perceptions among Farmers in Southwest Iran

Pesticide use and farmers' perceptions of risk of unsafe use of pesticides were explored in Fars Province, Iran. One hundred and fifty-five farmers engaged in pesticide handling were selected through a proportional stratified random sampling method with age as the stratification variable. Most of the farmers were not following basic pesticide safety measures and the majority of them (about 60%) were not using any protective equipment when spraying pesticides. Based on four identified factors, which explained 58% of the total variance in risk perceptions of unsafe use of pesticides, three segments of farmers were revealed. Segment A included 30.3% of the farmers who had the lowest perceived risk of unsafe use of pesticides (i.e., they perceived unsafe use of pesticides as not so dangerous). Segment B, which was the largest segment revealed, showed intermediate perceived risk of unsafe use of pesticides and all of four factors as well. However, segment C with 16.7% of farmers, reported the highest perceived risk of unsafe use of pesticides (i.e., they perceived unsafe use of pesticides as very dangerous). To develop a more targeted agricultural extension program, selected characteristics with respect to each segment were explored and compared.