Pesticide use in the production of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in some areas of Northern Ghana

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a very important vegetable used in almost all meals and is consumed in diverse ways. In Ghana, farmers and consumers of fruits and vegetables face immense risk of exposure owing to the use of toxic chemicals that are banned or restricted in the country or in other countries. The objective of this study was to ascertain farmers' access and use of recommended agro-chemicals for the production of tomatoes in three sampled farming communities in Northern Ghana. Sixty semi-structured questionnaires were administered and data analysed using Minitab Statistical package with T-test for significance. Various agro-chemicals were used by farmers which include: those not suitable for tomatoes production; unapproved or banned agro-chemicals and those suitable for tomatoes production. Communities which produced the "Burkina" variety used about 70% of the sampled pesticides compared with 30% for the "Wosowoso" variety. The agro-chemical most used (32.8%) was Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) though banned from the Ghana registered list of pesticides. Farmers have access to, and use agro-chemicals for tomato production in the study areas. Farmers therefore need to be sensitized on the use of recommended and appropriate agro-chemicals and the hazards associated with the use for the crop, farmer and environment.