Horticulture farmers' exposure to pesticides: Risk drivers and interventions for improvement.

This study investigates the impact of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to reduce pesticide exposure among horticultural farmers. Farmers are randomly assigned to one of three groups:

Intervention Group 1 (Training Only): This group receives comprehensive training on safe pesticide handling, including proper storage and disposal, correct application techniques to minimize exposure, and understanding the health and environmental risks associated with pesticides. Additionally, farmers are demonstrated how to properly use protective gear during the training sessions. They also receive a leaflet summarizing the training notes and instructions on the correct use of protective gear.

Intervention Group 2 (Training + Protective Gear): In addition to the training, farmers are provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, boots, masks, goggles, and coveralls. Like Group 1, they are shown how to properly use the protective gear during the training sessions and also receive a leaflet summarizing the training notes and instructions on the proper use of the protective gear.

Control Group: This group receives a leaflet on general horticulture practices but does not receive any specific intervention related to pesticide safety or protective gear.

2025-02-10

2025-03-01

The study will measure several outcome variables to assess the effectiveness of the interventions.
First is knowledge and awareness of safe pesticide use.
Second is the adoption of safe pesticide handling practices.
Third is health outcomes

1. Knowledge and Awareness of Safe Pesticide Use:
To construct this variable, pre- and post-intervention surveys will be designed to assess farmers' understanding of safe pesticide practices. These surveys will include a series of questions focusing on key areas, such as proper storage, handling, and disposal of pesticides, as well as awareness of health risks and environmental impacts associated with pesticide use. The responses will be scored to create a knowledge index, where higher scores reflect greater knowledge. A comparison of scores before and after the intervention will allow for the measurement of any changes in knowledge.

2. Adoption of Safe Pesticide Handling Practices:
This variable will be constructed based on self-reported data collected through the same surveys. Participants will be asked about the extent to which they adopt recommended pesticide application techniques, adhere to safety guidelines, and implement integrated pest management (IPM) practices. Specific questions will include whether they use personal protective equipment (PPE), follow proper application methods, and incorporate non-chemical pest management strategies. Each safe practice adopted will be coded as a binary variable (yes/no), and an overall adoption score will be created based on the number of safe practices reported by each participant.

3, Health Outcomes:
Health outcomes will be constructed by measuring the frequency and severity of pesticide-related health incidents reported by farmers. Participants will be asked to report any symptoms of pesticide poisoning, such as skin irritation, respiratory problems, or other health issues they have experienced. This will be recorded as both the incidence (whether or not an event occurred) and the severity (mild, moderate, or severe). The number of reported health incidents will also be collected and used to assess the overall impact of pesticide exposure. A cumulative health score may be created based on the frequency and severity of reported incidents.

1.Crop Yield: Measure changes in crop yield before and after the intervention.
2.Pesticide Use Costs: Track changes in pesticide expenditures before and after the intervention.
3. Overall Farm Profitability: Assess the impact on farm revenue, expenses, and net profit.
4. Quality of Life: Evaluate improvements in physical health, psychological well-being, and work-life balance.
5. Behavioral Intentions: Measure farmers’ intentions to continue using safe pesticide practices or adopt sustainable practices in the future.

1.To measure crop yield, post-intervention data on crop yield will be collected, typically in terms of kilograms or tons per hectare (or another relevant unit). This will help assess any changes in yield resulting from the intervention.

2. For pesticide use costs, the total expenditures on pesticides per season or per hectare will be tracked after the intervention. These cost changes will help determine whether safer pesticide practices have led to reduced pesticide use and lower costs.

3. When measuring overall farm profitability, data on farm revenue (from crop sales) and expenses (including pesticide costs and other operational costs) will be collected after the intervention. Net profitability can be calculated as the difference between revenue and total expenses, providing insight into the economic impact of the intervention.

4. To assess quality of life, farmers will complete post-intervention surveys focused on subjective wellbeing.

5. Behavioral intentions will be measured through post-intervention surveys that ask farmers about their intentions to continue safe pesticide practices and adopt sustainable pest management strategies. Questions will assess whether farmers plan to continue using personal protective equipment (PPE) or adopt integrated pest management (IPM) methods in the future.

The experimental design involves evaluating interventions to reduce pesticide use and minimize health and environmental risks among horticultural farmers in Tanzania. The study includes three groups:
1. Intervention Group 1 (Training Only): This group receives comprehensive training on safe pesticide use, including proper storage, application techniques, and understanding pesticide-related risks.
2. Intervention Group 2 (Training + Protective Gear): This group receives the same training as Group 1, along with personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, boots, and masks.
3. Control Group: This group receives only general horticultural practices information, with no specific training or protective gear.
Farmers are randomly assigned to one of these three groups. Data is collected at two stages: baseline (socio-economic and behavioral data), and end-line (data collected after pesticide exposure and harvest). Key outcome variables include knowledge of pesticide safety, adoption of safe handling practices, and health outcomes (e.g., pesticide poisoning symptoms). Statistical analyses involve comparing pre- and post-intervention data within each group and between groups using t-tests, chi-square tests, and regression models.
The study also tracks attrition rates and ensures ethical considerations like informed consent and participant confidentiality. The RCT design ensures robust evaluation of the interventions' effectiveness in improving pesticide management practices among farmers.

Not available

Randomization will be done in office by a computer

The randomization unit is village

Yes

30 villages

360 households

10 villages control, 10 villages training only treatment and 10 villages

Most of our variables are measure in proportion. We assume and extreme case where the proportions are 0.5, that is p=0.5 and q=1-p=0.5. Given the following parameters: Number of individual per cluster is 12; Number of clusters is 30; Intra cluster correlation is 0.1; Desired power is 0.8; Significance level is 0.05; and Variance of the outcome variable is 0.25. Then the minimum detectable effect size is 0.016