Parasram Barry, Choudhury Avishek
Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States of America.
Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies, Valsayn, Trinidad & Tobago.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 2;20(7):e0327283. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327283. eCollection 2025.
The agriculture sector is significantly affected by pesticide toxicity, leading to fatal and chronic diseases. The objective of this research is to explore the perception of the farmers, the representatives of the Agriculture Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ASTT), and the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (MALF) on the protection of farmers, particularly on the exposure to pesticides in Trinidad and Tobago. We conducted face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 32 individuals from the MALF and ASTT. Interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and deductive reasoning. Responses reveal six themes: (a) Barriers to Proper Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); (b) Challenges in Safe Chemical Use and Disposal Practices; (c) Health Impacts of Unsafe Chemical Exposure, (d) Challenges in Farmer Training and Adoption of Safety Practices; (e) Lack of Policies and Monitoring for Farmer Safety and Chemical Use; (f) Absence of Quality Control and Unsafe Practices in Local Produce. A consistent finding suggested an interplay between limited safety awareness, entrenched cultural practices, and the absence of rigorous policy enforcement. Farmers, Ministry of Agriculture officials, and industry representatives acknowledge that while isolated instances of good practice exist, these are overshadowed by regulatory oversight. Farmers remain at significant risk of adverse health outcomes, and consumers may face potential hazards from unmonitored chemical residues in local food. Our research highlights the urgent need for better safety regulations, more effective training, and the establishment of monitoring systems to protect the health of farmers and ensure safe agricultural practices. By shedding light on these issues, this study paves the way for developing targeted interventions to improve farmer health and safety standards in Trinidad and Tobago's agricultural sector.
农业部门受到农药毒性的显著影响,导致致命和慢性疾病。本研究的目的是探讨特立尼达和多巴哥农民、特立尼达和多巴哥农业协会(ASTT)代表以及农业、土地和渔业部(MALF)官员对保护农民的看法,特别是对特立尼达和多巴哥农民接触农药情况的看法。我们对来自MALF和ASTT的32个人进行了面对面的半结构化访谈。使用归纳主题分析和演绎推理对访谈进行了分析。回答揭示了六个主题:(a)正确使用个人防护装备(PPE)的障碍;(b)安全化学品使用和处置实践中的挑战;(c)不安全化学品接触对健康的影响;(d)农民培训和采用安全实践中的挑战;(e)缺乏针对农民安全和化学品使用的政策及监测;(f)当地农产品缺乏质量控制和不安全做法。一个一致的发现表明,安全意识有限、根深蒂固的文化习俗以及缺乏严格的政策执行之间存在相互作用。农民、农业部官员和行业代表承认,虽然存在个别良好做法的案例,但这些都被监管不力所掩盖。农民仍然面临着严重的健康不良后果风险,消费者可能会面临当地食品中未经监测的化学残留带来的潜在危害。我们的研究强调迫切需要更好的安全法规、更有效的培训以及建立监测系统,以保护农民的健康并确保安全的农业实践。通过揭示这些问题,本研究为制定有针对性的干预措施以提高特立尼达和多巴哥农业部门农民的健康和安全标准铺平了道路。
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