ACUTE PESTICIDE POISONING AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS AND FARMWORKERS
Case study 4 Ethiopia Country: Ethiopia Partner Organisation: PAN-Ethiopia Year conducted: 2018 Number of participants: Random selection of 15 smallholders from each of 5 villages, totalling 75 smallholder farmers (six women), plus a smaller sample of 15 casual workers (one woman). Assessed by formal quantitative survey via individual interviews, conducted by trained field agents. Description of participants: For 56% of respondents, vegetable production was their only income. The other 44% grow cereals, rear livestock and practice other non-farming activities in addition to vegetable production. The size of farmland cultivated under vegetables ranged from a minimum of 0.125ha to a maximum of 8ha, with an average of 0.65ha. Location: Five villages [Aluto, Abein Deneba, Abine Germama, Bochesa and Edo Gojola] in Adami TuluJido Kombolcha district within East Shoa Zone of Oromia Region in the Central Rift Valley. This is a major vegetable growing area, supplying much of the capital’s vegetable demand. Protective equipment: Not assessed although the area is renowned for very poor pesticide use practices, including very little use of proper PPE. % pesticide users reporting APP in previous 12 months: 66 Farmer respondents 60 farmer respondents (i.e. 80% of the total sample population) said that they didn’t suffer any pesticide poisoning in the last 12 months (Jun 2017-Jun 2018). The remaining 15 farmers (20% of the farmers) said either they themselves or somebody from their family was poisoned. From those farmers who reported a poisoning incident, 14 of them, who were adults, suffered the poisoning incident themselves. The remaining person reported was 15-18 years old and the reported poisoning incident happened because he/she drank the chemical. The respondent did not indicate whether this was deliberate intent of self-harm or accidental poisoning, e.g. by drinking liquid pesticide stored in a soft drinks bottle. 66 Farmer worker respondents Out of the 15 respondents, 11 of them (73%) said they have experienced at least one pesticide poisoning incident in the last 12 months. Out of these 11 casual workers who experienced poisoning, 2 of them (18%) were 15-18 years old while the other 9 were adults. % farmers missing days’ work due to APP: Not assessed. Signs and symptoms reported: Headache, irritated skin, stinging eyes and nose, stomach upset, fainting, numbness, vomiting, blurred vision, dizziness, diarrhoea. % seeking medical attention: Not assessed. Active ingredients in pesticides reported associated with APP: Malathion, mancozeb, profenofos, lambda-cyhalothrin, metalaxyl, spinetoram, Mitac, endosulfan, 2, 4-D, and dimethoate.
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