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ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH AGROCHEMICALS USAGE AMONG VEGETABLE FARMERS IN MAIDUGURI AND ITS ENVIRONS, NIGERIA

The study assessed health hazards associated with agrochemicals usage among vegetable farmers in Maiduguri and its Environs, Nigeria. Multi - stage sampling techniques was employed to select 160 vegetable farmers for this study. Both descriptive (frequency distribution and percentages) and inferential (logit regression) statistics were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that majority (59.37%) of the respondents were members of vegetable farmers’ organization and half (50.00%) of them were visited by extension agents less than thrice with majority (85.00%) of them had no access to credit during the period under study. The study revealed the most common symptoms of health hazards associated with agro-chemicals usage among respondents were skin problems (67.70%), dizziness (57.50%) and headache (52.50) in the study area. The logit regression revealed that extension contact had a positively significant influence at p < 0.05 level, while access to credit, sources of credit, availability of agro-chemicals shop and membership of FBOs had significant influence at p < 0.10 level each on wearing of PPEs during agro-chemicals application. The most important constraint affecting PPEs use was high cost of PPEs as reported by 55.00% of the respondents. The study recommended that vegetable farmers in the study area should be encouraged to form strong farmer organisations that will enable them to work as a team in order to eradicate or minimize the constraints of high cost of PPEs by obtaining subsidized PPEs from government for improved use of the same.