Farmers widely use chemical pesticides in vegetable field to control insect pests, although it is evident that chemical pesticides may cause adverse effects on health and environment. The present study was conducted to assess farmersÂ’ attitude towards the use of chemical pesticides in vegetable cultivation in the selected areas of Mymensingh district. A total of 100 farmers were selected from Mymensingh sadar upazila by using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected through one-on-one interviews during May and June, 2019 by using structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. Most of the farmers showed unfavourable attitude towards chemical pesticides use in vegetable cultivation. Correlation analysis shows that annual income and extension media contact were significantly and positively associated with attitude. On the contrary, the findings indicate that the farmers in the study area rely primarily on chemical pesticides for insect pest management. As recommendations, the extension service providers could provide training to the farmers on rational use of chemical pesticides; increase knowledge level of the farmers on insect pest management; and introduce alternative methods for insect pest management in the study area.
Key words: Attitude, chemical pesticides, insect pests, vegetable cultivation, farmers
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