Abstract:
The present study was carried out in the Matara District to understand the knowledge
and attitude on pesticide application by commercial leafy vegetable, vegetable and
paddy growers. All Agricultural service centers in the district were selected as the
main experimental sites. The study was carried out using pretested questionnaire and
secondary data collected from state institutions. Details were collected from45 leafy
vegetable farmers, 50 vegetable farmers and 75 paddy farmers. Proportionate
sampling technique was employed to select farmers. Primary data were collected
using a structured questions and through focused group discussions with agricultural
instructors, representatives of farmer organizations and pesticide dealers. Descriptive
and inferential statistics were mainly employed to draw conclusions. In pest and
disease management, the highest percentage of farmers used synthetic chemicals and
a few farmers used both synthetic chemicals and botanical pesticides. Higher
percentage of fanners always applied pesticides prior to the appearance of any
symptoms of pest or disease as a precautionary measure. The percentage of pesticide
overdosing farmers was 71% in Matara District as they believe that recommendations
and prescriptions given in the pesticide product labels are ineffective. About 49% of
farmers wear protective garments during the pesticide spraying, but the use of boots
and gloves are limited to 23% of the farmers. It was understood that most of the
issues at the user’s level are associated with inadequate of awareness, poor attitudes
and behaviors of farmers, weaknesses in pesticide residue detection system in food
and government rules and regulations on pesticide usage. Thus, there is a need for
strong awareness campaigns through all possible means to educate farmers on
alternate pest management methods, harmfidness of chemical pesticides and change
their attitudes and to empower the farmer organizations to tackle the issues at farm
level.
Key words: Commercial, Matara District, Paddy, Pesticide, Vegetables
