TITLE:
Health and Welfare Awareness of Rice and Vegetable Farmers
AUTHORS:
Maria Petra O. Ebron, Rexces James D. Lopez, Percival O. Ebron
KEYWORDS:
Awareness, Pesticide, Hazards, Health, Personal Protective Equipment, Safety
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.8 No.11,
November
15,
2021
ABSTRACT: Farmers suffer from injuries and diseases due to extreme pesticide exposure and inadequate knowledge on farming health-safety behaviors. This study focused on developing health and welfare awareness of farmers towards conventional pesticide application. It aimed to identify the level of farmers’ awareness of the negative effects and preventive use of pesticides. One hundred and seventy-five rice and vegetable farmers’ respondents were sampled randomly from selected barangays of San Jose, Camarines Sur. Combinations of internationally published qualitative and quantitative research methods were utilized in this study including survey, interview, and focus group discussion using a standardized questionnaire. The data gathered were tabulated and analyzed by means of descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that farmers who had long exposure to pesticides suffer from skin and respiratory diseases. The majority of the farmers were aware of the health hazards caused by pesticides but refused to wear personal protective gear due to convenience and cost-availability factors. It was suggested that training on proper usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and health welfare awareness campaign must be conducted through extension services by SUC’s and the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Rural Health Unit of San Jose, Camarines Sur.