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Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Pesticide among Farmers in the Philippines

Introduction. Pesticides are widely used in the agricultural sector to increase production by cutting down costs and improving the quality of produce. However, these chemicals come with serious health effects when an individual is exposed to large quantities at once, or low quantities over time. 
Objectives. The objective of the study is to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of farmers, as well as investigate the correlation among knowledge, attitude, and practice variables. 
Methods. This research study used a cross-sectional design. Samples were drawn based on a multistage sampling of 387 agricultural workers. The target site was in Southern Philippines and the sample was selected using multi-stage sampling from the identified municipalities. Survey questionnaires were given to the respondents to measure knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) on pesticide exposure among farmers. The data were encoded using SPSS 13.0. The statistics used were both descriptive and inferential. Correlation analysis was used to study the relationship among knowledge, attitudes, and practices. 
Results. The results showed that farmers used pesticides in their farms on an average of 2.31 days per week (SD 2.13). The respondents reported that they were exposed to pesticides for about 3.46 months per cropping season (SD: 2.76), as well as from 3.34 (SD 5.92) cropping seasons per year. The mean score of the respondents on the knowledge aspect of the questionnaire was 5.91 out of 10 items (SD 3.28). The average score on practices on pesticide use among respondents was 3.37 (SD 1.75) with 8 items to evaluate practices. Lastly, the mean score on attitude on pesticide use among respondents was 5.34 (SD 3.31) over 12 items. Analysis showed a moderate correlation between knowledge and attitude with Pearson’s r = 0.651 (P <0.0001), also a moderate correlation between knowledge and practices at r = 0.521 (P <0.0001), and a moderate correlation between practices and attitudes at r = 0.443 (P <0.0001). Factor analysis revealed three components for items within practices and attitudes and two for items within knowledge. 
Conclusion. Pesticide use in the Philippines continues to present various challenges in terms of its safety to humans and the environment. Farmers do not have adequate knowledge of pesticides and their proper management from use to disposal. They need to improve knowledge, encourage a healthy and safe attitude and correct practices on the hazards from pesticides, as well as its proper usage and handling. It is recommended that capacity building and training for farmers are initiated to address inadequacies in their knowledge, attitudes and practices.