Study on farmers’ Pest management strategy, knowledge on pesticide safety and practice of pesticide use at Bhaktapur district, Nepal

Abstract

Nepal being an agricultural country, the majority of the population is involved in agriculture. Pests are one of the major problems in the agriculture sector. Pesticides are being widely used to encounter this problem. This study aims to determine the knowledge level of farmers on pesticides and their use. Specifically, it investigates the pest management strategy, pesticide use, and safety measures used by the farmers. For this study, four municipalities of Bhaktapur district were selected with 100 respondents using a random sample design. Primarily, data collection was done through field observations, interviews, and questionnaires. Various secondary data were also used. Our study showed that farmers in this region were mainly dependent on chemical methods. For technical guidance, several applications, and use rates, farmers preferred the agro vets available in their area. As less care and concern were given to safety measures, it was not given top priority. The study showed that the knowledge of various aspects of pesticides, their use, and safety was inadequate among the farmers.