Knowledge and perception of farmers in La Concepción regarding environmental and biological risks of fungicide use
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56294/sctconf2024.111Keywords:
Environmental risks, risk perception, agricultural health, sustainable practicesAbstract
This study investigated the knowledge and perception of farmers in the La Concepción parish regarding environmental and biological risks associated with the use of fungicides. The main objective was to understand how these farmers understand and manage these risks in their agricultural practices. To do so, a combined methodology was employed that included structured surveys and focus groups. Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistical techniques, as well as thematic content analysis. The results revealed moderate awareness of environmental risks, with soil contamination standing out as the most significant risk perceived by farmers. However, a discrepancy was observed between this awareness and the effective implementation of mitigation measures, with limited adoption of sustainable practices. In contrast, knowledge about biological health risks, especially respiratory problems, was higher. This difference underlines the need for improved information and training on the long-term effects of fungicides. The main conclusions of the study indicate that it is essential to strengthen farmers’ education and training to improve the adoption of safer and more sustainable practices. It is recommended to develop specific educational resources and support the transition towards more sustainable agricultural practices
References
1. Castillo B, Ruiz JO, Manrique MA, Pozo C. Contaminación por plaguicidas agrícolas en los campos de cultivos en Cañete. Rev Espac [Internet]. 2020;41(10). Available from: https://www.revistaespacios.com/a20v41n10/20411011.html
2. Zúñiga-Venegas L, Saracini C, Pancetti F, Muñoz-Quezada MT, Lucero B, Foerster C, et al. Exposición a plaguicidas en Chile y salud poblacional: urgencia para la toma de decisiones. Gac Sanit [Internet]. 2022;35:480–7. Available from: https://www.scielosp.org/article/gs/2021.v35n5/480-487/
3. Ordoñez-Beltrán V, Frías-Moreno MN, Parra-Acosta H, Martínez-Tapia ME. Estudio sobre el uso de plaguicidas y su posible relación con daños a la salud. Rev Toxicol [Internet]. 2019;36(2):148–53. Available from: https://www.redalyc.org/journal/919/91967023011/91967023011.pdf
4. Rodríguez Aguilar BA, Martínez Rivera LM, Peregrina Lucano AA, Ortiz Arrona CI, Cárdenas Hernández OG. Análisis de residuos de plaguicidas en el agua superficial de la cuenca del río Ayuquila-Armería, México. Terra Latinoam [Internet]. 2019;37(2):151–61. Available from: https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?pid=S0187-57792019000200151&script=sci_arttext
5. El-Nahhal I, El-Nahhal Y. Pesticide residues in drinking water, their potential risk to human health and removal options. J Environ Manage [Internet]. 2021;299:113611. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030147972101673X
6. Quinteros E, Tamayo SS, Marín JEO, Placeres MR. Factores de riesgo de intoxicaciones agudas por plaguicidas en El Salvador, 2017. Alerta [Internet]. 2019;2(1):40–50. Available from: http://portal.amelica.org/ameli/journal/419/4191907005/html/
7. Zubrod JP, Bundschuh M, Arts G, Brühl CA, Imfeld G, Knäbel A, et al. Fungicides: an overlooked pesticide class? Environ Sci Technol [Internet]. 2019;53(7):3347–65. Available from: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.8b04392
8. Corkley I, Fraaije B, Hawkins N. Fungicide resistance management: Maximizing the effective life of plant protection products. Plant Pathol [Internet]. 2022;71(1):150–69. Available from: https://bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ppa.13467
9. Brandhorst TT, Klein BS. Uncertainty surrounding the mechanism and safety of the post-harvest fungicide fludioxonil. Food Chem Toxicol [Internet]. 2019;123:561–5. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691518308391
10. Gaona L, Bedmar F, Gianelli V, Faberi AJ, Angelini H. Estimating the risk of groundwater contamination and environmental impact of pesticides in an agricultural basin in Argentina. Int J Environ Sci Technol [Internet]. 2019;16:6657–70. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13762-019-02267-w
11. de Souza RM, Seibert D, Quesada HB, de Jesus Bassetti F, Fagundes-Klen MR, Bergamasco R. Occurrence, impacts and general aspects of pesticides in surface water: A review. Process Saf Environ Prot [Internet]. 2020;135:22–37. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0957582019318683
12. Fournier B, Dos Santos SP, Gustavsen JA, Imfeld G, Lamy F, Mitchell EAD, et al. Impact of a synthetic fungicide (fosetyl-Al and propamocarb-hydrochloride) and a biopesticide (Clonostachys rosea) on soil bacterial, fungal, and protist communities. Sci Total Environ [Internet]. 2020;738:139635. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720331557
13. Poudel S, Poudel B, Acharya B, Poudel P. Pesticide use and its impacts on human health and environment. Env Ecosyst Sci [Internet]. 2020;4(1):47–51. Available from: https://environecosystem.com/archives/1ees2020/1ees2020-47-51.pdf
14. Pluth TB, Zanini LAG, Battisti IDE. Pesticide exposure and cancer: an integrative literature review. Saúde em debate [Internet]. 2019;43:906–24. Available from: https://www.scielosp.org/article/sdeb/2019.v43n122/906-924/en/
15. Lerro CC, Freeman LEB, DellaValle CT, Andreotti G, Hofmann JN, Koutros S, et al. Pesticide exposure and incident thyroid cancer among male pesticide applicators in agricultural health study. Environ Int [Internet]. 2021;146:106187. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020321425
16. Tleuova AB, Wielogorska E, Talluri VP, Štěpánek F, Elliott CT, Grigoriev DO. Recent advances and remaining barriers to producing novel formulations of fungicides for safe and sustainable agriculture. J Control Release [Internet]. 2020;326:468–81. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168365920304193
17. Wilson Chibás FM, Bailly Videaux HA, Utria Suárez M, Diaz Molina L, Reye Pérez OI. La relación degradación en los ecosistemas - aumento de la resistencia antimicrobiana como problema de salud. Rev Inf Cient [Internet]. 2018;97(3). Disponible en: https://revinfcientifica.sld.cu/index.php/ric/article/view/1937
18. Vidal Fócil AB. El cambio laboral de las profesoras universitarias ante el COVID 19 en la UJAT-DACEA. Dilemas contemp: educ política valores [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Sep 14]; Available from: https://dilemascontemporaneoseducacionpoliticayvalores.com/index.php/dilemas/article/view/3864.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Alexandra Patricia Abata Erazo , Sandy Mishel Quispe Ruiz (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.