CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute, P. O. Box 7, Bunso, Eastern Region, Ghana.
Department of Agriculture, Berekum West District, P. O. Box 160, Berekum, Ghana.
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 6;14(1):5484. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55169-4.
Tomato production plays a crucial role in the livelihoods of farmers and agricultural households in the forest savanna transitional belt of Ghana. However, the success of tomato cultivation is hindered by the presence of insect pests and diseases, necessitating the use of agricultural inputs. This study aimed to identify the pesticides used in tomato farming, assess their World Health Organization (WHO) active ingredient hazard class, determine the precautionary behaviour associated with pesticide use by tomato farmers, and elucidate the socio-economic factors influencing pesticide usage in the Bono and Ahafo regions of Ghana. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 1009 respondents, who were administered a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to analyse the collected data. The results revealed that tomato farmers utilized 15 types of insecticides (e.g., lambda and chlorpyrifos ethyl based), 8 types of fungicides (e.g., mancozeb and sulphur + copper based), and 6 types of weedicides (mostly glyphosate based) on their crops. Notably, four insecticides and two fungicides types were found to be unregistered products. Lambda-cyhalothrin-based insecticides and mancozeb-based fungicides were predominantly used by the farmers. The assessed pesticides exhibited varying levels of hazard, ranging from slight to moderate. The study found that farmer training was a significant driver influencing insecticide use, while the educational level of farmers and average yield played important roles in determining fungicide use. Socio-economic factors such as being the head of the household, employing farm workers, the cultivated tomato variety, and farmer training influenced weedicide use. The type of tomato variety cultivated emerged as the primary socio-economic driver of pesticide use. The study recommended the establishment and implementation of a systematic monitoring regime for pesticide product marketing and use, with the aim of reducing the utilization of unregistered products by farmers. Implementing these measures supports sustainable tomato farming in the Bono and Ahafo regions of Ghana.
在加纳森林草原过渡带，番茄生产对农民和农业家庭的生计至关重要。然而，番茄种植的成功受到病虫害的阻碍，需要使用农业投入品。本研究旨在确定番茄种植中使用的农药，评估其世界卫生组织（WHO）有效成分危害类别，确定番茄种植者使用农药时的预防行为，并阐明影响加纳博诺和阿哈福地区农药使用的社会经济因素。采用多阶段抽样程序选择了 1009 名受访者，并对他们进行了结构化问卷。采用描述性统计和逻辑回归模型分析收集的数据。结果表明，番茄种植者在作物上使用了 15 种杀虫剂（如 lambda 和氯氰菊酯乙基）、8 种杀菌剂（如代森锰锌和硫磺+铜）和 6 种除草剂（主要是草甘膦）。值得注意的是，发现有 4 种杀虫剂和 2 种杀菌剂类型是未经注册的产品。种植者主要使用 lambda-氯氟氰菊酯基杀虫剂和代森锰锌基杀菌剂。评估的农药具有不同程度的危害，从轻到中度不等。研究发现，农民培训是影响杀虫剂使用的重要驱动因素，而农民的教育水平和平均产量在确定杀菌剂使用方面发挥着重要作用。家庭负责人身份、雇用农场工人、种植的番茄品种和农民培训等社会经济因素影响除草剂的使用。种植的番茄品种类型是农民使用农药的主要社会经济驱动因素。研究建议建立和实施系统的农药产品营销和使用监测制度，以减少农民对未注册产品的使用。实施这些措施支持加纳博诺和阿哈福地区可持续的番茄种植。
