Gender Specific Factors Associated With Hazards of Pesticide Usage among Cocoa Farmers in Nigeria

This study assessed the gender specific factors associated with health and environmental hazards of pesticide usage among cocoa farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria a region known with predominance in cocoa production. It specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of male and female cocoa farmers and isolate factors associated with health and environmental hazards of pesticide usage in cocoa production. 120 male cocoa farmers and 120 female cocoa farmers were selected through multi stage purposive sampling technique in five local government areas of the state, to make a total of 240 respondents for the study. The study adopts the use of inferential and descriptive statistics to analyze the data from the survey. The mean age for male and female cocoa farmers was 52.5±9.82 and 45.2± 8.49 respectively while the mean years of cocoa farming experience for male and female cocoa farmers was 27.9±9.23 and 22.3±9.68 respectively. Varimax factor rotation pattern was used to isolate six factors associated with health and environmental hazards for male cocoa farmers which include: ‘information source factor’, ‘extension contact factor’, ‘experience factor’, ‘knowledge-pesticide usage factor’, ‘group membership factor’ and ‘family factor’ and six factors associated with health and environmental hazards for female cocoa farmers which include: ‘knowledge factor’, ‘information source factor’ ‘group membership factor’ ‘extension contact factor’ ‘family factor’ and ‘pesticide usage’ were isolated. Awareness of the gender specific factors to understanding hidden gender issues associated with hazards of pesticide usage among cocoa farmers was recommended. Hence, this is to ensure sustainable pesticide usage and to boost environmental productivity for rural development.