Environmental Awareness by Vegetables’ Farmers towards Usage of Pesticides in Jordan Valley

(Mohamed Salem Al-Tarawneh and Ibrahim Suleiman Tahat)

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Abstract

Pesticides participate in increasing the agriculture production and meeting the increasing needs to food. Meanwhile, its risk on environmental system is one of the most important challenges facing human in the recent time. The aim of this study was to measure the degree of awareness of vegetables’ farmers towards usage of pesticides in Jordan Valley through measuring the level of knowledge, determining the extent of implementing safe application methods of pesticides, and detecting the main sources of information about dealing with pesticides, storage, and disposing of pesticides leftover by farmers. To achieve the objectives of the research, a questionnaire was distributed to 325 farmers in the southern Jordan Valley, after being validated and tested for reliability. The results of the study showed that there was a high level of general environmental awareness towards pesticides usage and its negative effects on the surrounding environment. Results of agriculture researches were the most important source of information for farmers. The results also showed that the most used method in the field is central sprinkler sprayer followed by spraying machines attached to tractors. Spraying of the whole purchased quantity of pesticide was the most used procedure to get rid of leftover. Keeping pesticides in special warehouses was the most important method for storage. In-light of these results, it is recommended to enhance the link between agriculture research and agriculture extension to determine the pesticides that have positive effects on the environment. Key Words: Farmers educational status, Pesticides residue, Pollution, Protective measures.
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