Residue risks in vegetable cultivation: A ground-level analysis of farmers’ awareness

Introduction

Pesticides play a crucial role in modern agriculture by protecting crops from pests, diseases, and weeds, thereby contributing significantly to enhanced productivity and food security. However, their extensive and often indiscriminate use has given rise to a critical concern in agricultural and public health domains, namely pesticide residues. These residues, defined as traces of chemical substances that remain in or on agricultural produce after application, persist primarily due to improper dosage, non-adherence to recommended waiting periods, and unscientific application practices. The presence of pesticide residues in food commodities, particularly vegetables, has emerged as a serious issue affecting food safety and human health worldwide. To regulate and control this problem, various international and national agencies have established Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) to ensure that pesticide levels in food remain within permissible limits. Nevertheless, in developing countries like India, inadequate awareness and poor compliance among farmers frequently result in residue levels exceeding these standards (Singh et al., 2022) [9] . India, being the second largest producer of vegetables in the world after China, plays a vital role in ensuring nutritional security (Statista Research Department, 2026) [4] . Vegetables are cultivated across diverse agro-climatic regions under both open field and protected cultivation systems. However, their production is highly vulnerable to a wide range of insect pests and diseases, compelling farmers to rely heavily on pesticide applications. Although the per hectare pesticide consumption in India is comparatively lower than that of many developed nations, the challenge lies in its improper and irrational use, which significantly contributes to residue accumulation in vegetables (Pesticide use and trade, 2023a) [2] . The occurrence of pesticide residues is largely associated with excessive and repeated applications, use of banned or restricted chemicals, and neglect of pre-harvest intervals. In certain cases, pesticides are also applied to improve the cosmetic appeal of produce, such as enhancing colour and shine, further aggravating the risk of contamination. Empirical evidence suggests that a substantial proportion of vegetable samples contain detectable levels of pesticide residues, with a notable percentage exceeding the prescribed MRLs. Vegetables such as tomato, brinjal, chilli, and okra are particularly prone to such contamination (FSSAI, 2022) [1] . Pesticide residues pose significant health hazards as they enter the human body through the consumption of contaminated food and tend to accumulate over time. Acute exposure may lead to symptoms such as nausea, skin irritation, and respiratory distress, whereas chronic exposure has been linked to severe conditions including cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive disorders, and neurological impairments (WHO, 2023b) [3] . The magnitude of the problem is reflected in global estimates reporting millions of cases of pesticide poisoning annually, particularly among farming communities (Boedeker et al., 2020) [5] . Beyond human health, indiscriminate pesticide use also contributes to environmental degradation, including soil contamination, water pollution, biodiversity loss, and ecological imbalance. Since vegetables are often consumed fresh or minimally processed, the risk of pesticide exposure through dietary intake is considerably higher, making this issue more critical from a food safety perspective. To mitigate these risks, several protection measures have been advocated, including the use of personal protective equipment, adherence to recommended dosages, safe handling and storage of pesticides, and strict observance of pre-harvest intervals. However, the effective adoption of these measures largely depends on the awareness level of farmers. Studies indicate that while a considerable proportion of farmers possess general awareness about pesticide hazards, their specific understanding of residue-related risks and safe practices remains limited (Patel & Chauhan, 2021; Meena et al., 2023; Sharma & Singh, 2020) [6,7,8] . Furthermore, awareness is not uniform across farming communities and is significantly influenced by various socioeconomic and communication-related factors such as education, farming experience, extension contact, and mass media exposure. These factors shape farmers' knowledge, perceptions, and decision-making behaviour regarding pesticide use. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of these associated factors is essential for designing targeted and effective extension interventions. In this context, a systematic assessment of the awareness level of vegetable growers regarding the hazardous effects of pesticide residues, along with the identification of associated factors, becomes imperative. Such an approach will provide valuable insights for developing need-based extension strategies aimed at enhancing farmers' awareness, promoting safe and judicious pesticide use, and ultimately minimizing pesticide residues in vegetables, thereby ensuring food safety, public health, and environmental sustainability.

Methodology

The present study was conducted in Bharuch district of South Gujarat. Two talukas, namely Bharuch and Ankleshwar, were purposively selected based on the highest area under vegetable cultivation. From each selected taluka, four villages were purposively chosen, making a total of eight villages. Further, fifteen vegetable growers were selected from each village through simple random sampling, constituting a total sample size of 120 respondents. The study followed an Ex-Post Facto research design, as the variables under investigation had already occurred and were beyond the control of the researcher. A well-structured and pre-tested interview schedule was developed to collect primary data in line with the objectives of the study. The collected responses were systematically compiled, coded, and tabulated. Appropriate statistical measures such as frequency and percentage, correlation coefficient, multiple regression analysis, step wise regression analysis and path analysis were used to analyse the distribution of responses. In table 1 it was observed that 47.50 percent of farmers belonged to middle age group, 28.33 percent farmers had education up to graduate and above level, 49.17 percent farmers had medium farming experience, majority of farmers had membership in one organization (40.84%), also 34.17 per cent of farmers possesed semi-medium land holding, 30.83 percent farmers had annual income between ₹1, 50, 001 to ₹2, 00, 000, 37.50 percent farmers had occasional level of extension contact, followed by 47.50 percent farmers had occasional level of mass media exposure, majority of farmers had received training (56.67%), also 44.17 percent farmers had high level of economic motivation, 41.67 percent farmers had medium level of risk orientation and 40.00 percent farmers had medium level of scientific orientation towards awareness about hazardous effect of pesticide residue. The data in table 2 indicated that a more than half (52.50%) of the respondents had a medium level of awareness, followed by 24.17 per cent with a high level and 07.50 per cent with a very high level of awareness, while a smaller proportion of respondents exhibited low (09.16%) and very low (06.67%) levels of awareness, respectively. Data in table 3 showed that independent variables such as extension contact, mass media exposure, education and scientific orientation were positively and significantly correlated with awareness of vegetable growers regarding hazardous effects caused through pesticide residues in vegetables and social participation, land holding, annual income, training received, economic motivation and risk orientation were positively and non-significantly correlated with the awareness of vegetable growers. Whereas, age and farming experience were negatively and highly significantly correlated with the awareness of vegetable growers regarding hazardous effects caused through pesticide residues in vegetables. 4 presents the full model of regression analysis between criterion variable i.e. awareness of vegetable growers regarding hazardous effects caused through pesticide residues in vegetables with respect to selected independent variables. The variables education, extension contact, mass media exposure, training experience, economic motivation and risk orientation had positive contribution, whereas, the variables age, farming experience, social participation, land holding, annual income and scientific orientation had negative contribution on awareness of vegetable growers regarding hazardous effects caused through pesticide residues in vegetables. It was found that all the independent variables together had contributed 17.60 per cent of variation in awareness of vegetable growers regarding hazardous effects caused through pesticide residues in vegetables. social participation and farming experience (X7, X4, X3). A negligible negative indirect effect was also observed for training received (X9) (-0.002) through extension contact, social participation and annual income (X7, X4, X6). From the above results, it can be concluded that the variables extension contact, age and social participation played a crucial role as major channels through which other independent variables exerted their indirect influence on awareness. This suggests that improvement in extension contact, education, social participation, mass media exposure and scientific orientation would lead to substantial enhancement in awareness regarding hazardous effects caused through pesticide residues in vegetables.

Results and Discussion

Conclusion

The study revealed that a majority of vegetable growers had a medium level of awareness regarding the hazardous effects of pesticide residues, indicating scope for improvement. Education, extension contact, mass media exposure and scientific orientation showed a positive and highly significant association with awareness, whereas age and farming experience exhibited a significant negative relationship. Regression analysis indicated that education, extension contact and mass media exposure contributed positively, while stepwise regression identified age (negative) and extension contact (positive) as key determinants. Path analysis further confirmed that extension contact exerted the highest positive direct effect, while age had the strongest negative direct effect, and social participation contributed the highest total indirect effect, with extension contact, age and social participation acting as major mediating variables. The findings underscore the critical role of extension systems, communication channels and social participation in enhancing awareness, emphasizing the need for targeted training and communication strategies, particularly for older farmers, to promote safe pesticide use practices.

References

1. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. National monitoring of pesticide residues in food commodities. New Delhi: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India; 2022.
2. World Health Organization. Pesticide residues in food: Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023.
3. Statista. Leading producers of fresh vegetables worldwide in 2024. Hamburg: Statista; 2026.
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