A Survey of Pesticide Use Patterns and Farmers’ Perceptions in Major Cucurbits-growing Regions of Uttarakhand, India

Cucurbits such as Pumpkin, Cucumber are pre-dominantly cultivated in various regions of Uttarakhand. However, the injudicious and frequent application of harmful pesticides and paucity of farmers’ perceptions of pesticide usage pose a serious threat to the well-being of human beings. The present investigation was conducted in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand to gather information on pesticide usage patterns, awareness of farmers on infestation of various insect pests and adoption of various management tactics in different cucurbits growing areas of Kumaon. The survey was conducted with 50 farmers in different regions of five districts viz., Almora, Champawat, Nainital, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar. The investigation revealed that a large number of farmers used synthetic pesticides to manage different insect pests in cucurbits. The survey also revealed that farmers have limited knowledge of beneficial insects, pesticide registration procedures, etc. The study highlights the importance of awareness programmes and training programmes for proper dissemination of information related to pesticide usage and promotion of sustainable production of cucurbits. This study encompasses the need for further field trial based research on pesticide persistence and its effect on environmental conditions.