Farmers’ Perception on Pesticide Use and Pest Management of Vegetable Crops: In the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia, in the Case of Fogera Plain

This study examines the impact of training on smallholder farmers' pesticide handling practices, perceptions, and behaviors, with a focus on the correlation between training and several key factors, including pesticide storage, pest identification skills, pest management strategies, pesticide application frequency, information sources, protective equipment use, pesticide mixing habits, and disposal of empty pesticide containers. The research highlights that training plays a significant role in improving farmers' pesticide handling practices, although some areas still require additional education or interventions for further improvement. Significant associations were found between training and pest identification abilities. Farmers who received training were more adept at recognizing pests such as onion thrips (X<sup>2</sup> = 17.130, p < .001), downy mildew (X<sup>2</sup> = 10.221, p = 0.001), fruit borers (X<sup>2</sup> = 26.246, p < .001), and white flies (X<sup>2</sup> = 3.226, p = 0.072) compared to untrained farmers. Trained farmers were also more likely to seek reliable information from extension workers (X<sup>2</sup> = 13.18, p < 0.001), chemical dealers (X<sup>2</sup> = 15.44, p < 0.001), personal experience (X<sup>2</sup> = 8.03, p = 0.005), and product labels (X<sup>2</sup> = 14.36, p < 0.001), whereas untrained farmers were more inclined to guess or rely on informal sources (X<sup>2</sup> = 21.85, p < 0.001). Regarding pesticide storage, trained farmers were more likely to store pesticides safely, away from living areas, children, and animals, whereas untrained farmers often stored pesticides indoors. Training also affected mixing practices, with trained farmers less likely to mix pesticides near water sources (X<sup>2</sup> = 6.4, p = 0.01) and more likely to mix them in the field (X<sup>2</sup> = 51.38, p < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in practices such as mixing pesticides according to the recommended doses (X<sup>2</sup> = 3.15, p = 0.08) or mixing different types of pesticides (X<sup>2</sup> = 0.31, p = 0.58). Trained farmers demonstrated better adherence to safety protocols, such as using personal protective equipment (PPE) and avoiding pesticide mixing at home. They were also more likely to triple-rinse spray tanks and avoid discharging pesticides into irrigation ditches. However, no significant differences were observed in reading pesticide instructions before spraying (X<sup>2</sup> = 0.24, p = 0.63), indicating a need for further emphasis on this aspect during training. Overall, the study confirms that training significantly improves safe pesticide handling but suggests areas for further education and intervention.