Abstract:
Background: The export drive for watermelon production is huge and so is pesticide usage. However, the health
and safety of the farmers, as well as threat to the environment lie in the shadow. The purpose of the study is to evalu
ate watermelon farmers’ knowledge and application of pesticides in the Central region of Ghana, to ascertain factors
associated with the pesticides application.
Methods: A feld survey of 300 farmers were conducted in six communities through questionnaire. Logistic regres
sion model was used to describe and explain burning sensation as the response variable and the factors that likely
afect appropriate pesticide usage.
Results: The results show that farmers were aware of the environmental and health impacts of pesticides use. How
ever, their knowledge of the risks associated with pesticides is not translated into actual practice to avoid the expo
sure of pesticides. The farmers experienced various levels of health risks symptoms. Health risks symptoms of head
ache, burning sensation, fever, watering eyes, chest pains, etc., were reported. The most common symptom is burning
sensation. A model capturing biosocial factors infuencing predisposition to burning sensation was developed. The
model revealed that knowledge to identify pests, knowledge to identify diseases and wearing coverall were the most
signifcant factors farmers experienced to infuence burning sensation.
Conclusion: Signifcant number of watermelon farmers’ experienced health risks symptoms. In order to minimize the
health risk symptoms and environmental consequences, educational training programs must involve the farmers and
retailers through strong policy intervention
