In recent years, Buea has experienced an increase in population resulting in an increased demand for tomatoes. This has caused a tomato shortage and led many small-scale farmers to change to tomato cultivation, even though they had limited knowledge on tomato farming techniques. Buea is an ideal environment to grow tomatoes,because the land has streams and springs which facilitate irrigation by running down the mountain slope of the municipality. In Buea, tomato cultivation has benefited the economy by increasing both community employment and the income of small- and medium-scale farmers. The tomatoes grown are used for household and domestic consumption, and are in demand in neighboring areas of Cameroon and other nations. Yet, in Cameroon,the production of tomatoes has been shown to be greatly impacted by different types of pests . Farmers often regard pesticides to be the primary solution to boost their crop productivity, but the farmers’ increasing dependence on pesticides has attracted little attention in Cameroon. The increased crop productivity is especially appreciated by the small-scale farmers, but there is also increasing concern expressing about the health effects of pesticide use within the communities.
This study was performed to determine the degree and types of pesticide use, the Buea farmer’s reliability on chemicals to control pests and to assess the knowledge,and perception of farmers on pesticide effectiveness and potential health risks. Criteria for participation included the farmer must have lived upon and practiced pesticide use on their farm for a minimum of 3 years, own/rent a tomato farm with a size between ≤200 m2 to 900 m2 within the Buea municipality,and able to communicate in either English, French, “pidgin English” or the local language (Bakweri).Participants were recruited with the assistance of community leaders, churches, and local groups in the study area. Letters were sent to each of these entities which contained a clear explanation of reasons for the study,study objectives, inclusion criteria, consent to participate, and voluntary participation. Those farmers who expressed interest in participation were invited to meet at the community leaders’ residence, group meeting locations, or church premises. At these meetings, the principal investigator reviewed the study and explained the content. If the farmer wished to participate,ebb and flow trays the consent form was signed, and the questionnaire was given to complete. All participants spoke “pidgin English” which is the commonly used language in the South West region. Those participants who could not read came with a family member or friend to assist in understanding each question and how to complete the questionnaire. The principal investigator also followed up with those farmers who could not read English, and translated the questionnaire into their preferred language to make sure the questions were fully understood.Of the 98 farmers who volunteered to participate in the survey, 3 dropped out of the study due to travel difficulties.This left a total of 95 participating farmers.
As a quality control measure, all questionnaires were checked and double-keyed to ensure the questions were answered. Two questionnaires had missing values and were excluded from the study. This left a final total of 93 farmers who successfully completed all aspects of the study. Africa, farmers have been shown to apply pesticides more frequently with the hope of acquiring better results. African farmers have also been shown to lack knowledge on the appropriate techniques and management of pesticides or alternative ways to control pests which could be addressed by instituting agricultural extension service programs . In many African countries, governmental programs have encouraged the use of pesticides with a focus on crop and production yield, but without giving serious consideration of the environmental and health risks consequences .