Abstract:
Majority of the farmers especially in the developing nations continue to be poisoned or killed
owing to unsafe usage of agrochemicals. There is a primary concern of every government and
international organization on safety and health in the usage of agrochemicals. The focus of this
study was to determine the contract farmers’ health and safety awareness on the application of
agrochemicals. For this case study, one hundred contract farmers growing vegetables in
Anuradhapura district were randomly selected. Primary data were collected through structured
questionnaire and interview methods. Secondary data were collected from published scientific
articles and conference papers. Descriptive analytical methods using SPSS version 16 statistical
software were followed to analyze the data. The results revealed that only 10% of contract
farmers always follow the instructions on the label of agrochemical bottles. Very fewer farmers
(20%) always shower immediately after the end of the agrochemical application. Twelve percent
of those surveyed in this study keep a record of the chemicals they use to grow vegetables. Only
10% of farmers keep the knapsack for re-use. Most of the farmers (72%) have some
understanding about the hazards and risks of using chemicals in the field and 28% of farmers
are less aware regarding the hazards and risks of chemicals in the field. 38% of the sample
follows safety practices while others follow their own ways to control the hazards and risks in
the field. Most farmers (68%) forget the safety instructions when they burdened with work. A
higher percentage (75%) of farmers’ believe that the life risk of using agrochemicals while
working in the fields is serious and not life threating. According to the results farmers did not
have an adequate knowledge and favorable attitudes towards health and safety risks in
agriculture. Most of the farmers do not practice health and safety practices in the field.
