INFLUENCE OF FACTORS DETERMINING ENVIRONMENTAL RISK LITERACY LEVEL ABOUT THE USE OF AGROCHEMICALS

The overuse of agrochemicals threatens ecological balance by accumulating residues in the food chain, harming beneficial insects, degrading soil health and posing health risks through contaminated produce. Balancing their benefits and risks is essential for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem preservation. Keeping this view the present study was conducted with 150 farmers of five villages each from Anand, Borsad and Anklav talukas. The study found that 79.33 per cent of vegetable growers had high level of environmental risk literacy regarding agrochemical use. Variables such as scientific orientation, attitude towards organic farming , knowledge of eco-friendly agricultural technology showed significant positive correlations with growers’ environmental risk literacy. However, factors such as age, size of landholding and frequency of social media use did not demonstrate a significant correlation with vegetable growers’ environmental risk literacy regarding agrochemical use.