Potential Risks to the Environment as a Result of Pesticide Handling in the Nanumba-North Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

The present study deduced the potential risks to the environment as a result of pesticide handling in the Nanumba-North Municipality of the Northern Region of Ghana. Cluster sampling was used to select 30 communities from Nanumba-North Municipality. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling were used respectively to select 7 households from each community and one farmer from each household, giving a sample size of 210 farmers. The instrument used for the study was a questionnaire of respondents. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study concluded that 11 types of pesticides are commonly used by the farmers on their fields, with atrazine (22%) being the most commonly used pesticide which is an herbicide, and deltamethrin (1%) was the least used pesticide which is an insecticide. The study, therefore, recommends that appropriate authorities in the area should inculcate means to enlighten farmers on the best way of pesticide utilization that can beef up the ambition of sustainable agricultural production and desirable environmental conditions.