Pesticide Use Culture among Food Crop Farmers: Implications for Subtle Exposure and Management in Barbados

Globally, there is a strong interest in on-farm pesticide use culture due to genuine concerns about the individual, public, and ecological health risks posed by pesticides. At farm scale, pesticide use culture can be captured via the assessments of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) to inform intervention strategy and integrated science-based management. Despite the intensive use of pesticides in agriculture in the Caribbean, there is limited information on pesticide use culture or KAP assessment. This study assessed the pesticide use culture among selected food crop farmers in Barbados. A cross-sectional study of 93 food crop farmers, using a semi-structured instrument, was carried out. The results show that the respondents self-rated their level of knowledge on pesticide handling and application as medium to high but low on waste management. Over 50% of the respondents indicated they determine application rates and could understand and follow information on pesticide labels. The majority of the respondents relied on the Internet for information on pesticides, and less than half had received formal training on pesticide use in the three years preceding this study. On attitude, there was overwhelming support for the encouragement of pesticide usage to reduce losses in yield and quality of harvest. Knowledge did not always imply positive attitudes toward safe practices. While 86% agreed that pesticides posed considerable risks to the personal health of users, 60% agreed that one did not need to have all the recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) before using a given pesticide. Due to gaps in the knowledge–attitude–practice continuum, some respondents applied pesticides when necessary, and there was low adherence to the use of recommended PPE when handling/applying pesticides or cleaning/repairing pesticide application equipment, and some respondents indicated a tendency to eat, drink, or smoke during or immediately after pesticide application. These suggest subtle exposure. It was concluded that the low use of recommended PPE, high reliance on the Internet for pesticide guidance, and, particularly, pesticide waste disposal practices require urgent attention from policy, regulatory, and practical levels to improve the pesticide use culture.