Research article

Determinants of environmental behavior for farmers from the needed knowledge for the sustainability of the rural ecosystem through the safe use of agricultural pesticides in Salah al-Din Governorate / Iraq

Majeed Hadie Salih AL-hamdany1 and Saddam Abass Haskah2

Online First: November 08, 2022


The research aimed to identify the level of Determinants of environmental behavior for farmers from the needed knowledge for the sustainability of the rural ecosystem through the safe use of agricultural pesticides in Salah al-Din Governorate / Iraq as a dependent variable, as well as on the characteristics of the studied personality variables of the respondents (age, some educational qualification, agricultural holding area, social participation, exposure to sources Information, participation in agricultural extension activities), determining the relationship between them and the dependent variable, as well as identifying the level of knowledge needs according to the fields of research, which is a method for an idea appropriately when preparing them, preventing the risk of pesticides being damaged when used, and how to store pesticides appropriately upon receipt. The field survey was used using the questionnaire form after ensuring its consistency and validity in achieving the research objectives and collecting data through a personal interview, and the number of registered farmers was 1,146 farmers to grow multiple crops, and a regular random sample of 10% of the comprehensive research was taken, so the research sample reached 115 respondents, and data were collected. During December 2021, the researchers used some statistical tools in analyzing the data, such as the arithmetic mean, the standard deviation, and the tabular display in frequencies and percentage to display the results, as well as the "t" test, the chi-square test, and the concordance coefficient. The most important results of the research were that there are high knowledge needs that accounted for 59.13% in determinants of environmental behavior for farmers in the sustainability of the ecosystem in the countryside through the safe use of agricultural pesticides in Salah al-Din Governorate / Iraq. There are knowledge needs in the fields of research when using the safe use of agricultural pesticides. The problems faced by farmers from weak control and control of pesticides in the areas studied, and the research recommends the need for attention by the concerned state agencies regarding agricultural pesticides in their use, circulation, import, sale, and locally manufactured safely by all users due to their effects on human health and environmental pollution.

Keywords

environmental behavior of farmers, knowledge needed, for agricultural pesticides, Iraq