Rural Farmer Training and Education for the Prevention of Pollution–Related Deaths Among Pesticide-User Farmers in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract One of the major problems of today’s world is environmental pollution and its control that happens in different spheres of our collective and individual lives. Efforts at controlling pollution have met with stiff opposition as certain individuals seem to benefit from it. A cross-section of people affected by pollution is the farmers (both urban and rural farmers). Controlling pollution starts with public awareness and enlightenment, which involves education and training of all, including farmers. This paper argues that farmers require ongoing education to be aware of what constitutes pollution, sources of pollution, and the role of education in avoiding the deaths caused by pollution. A total of 250 farmers were selected randomly from 2500 farmers engaged in farming. Questionnaire and oral discussions were used to elicit responses from the farmers, and percentages, mean, and standard deviation were used to analyze and interpret data. Results showed that the following farm pollutants abound – pesticides (93.6%), fertilizers (98%), noise from machinery (84.8%), harvest waste (98%), livestock waste (96.4%), among others. The following sources of information exist: radio, television, demonstrations, churches, town criers, and fellow farmers. The pollution-related disasters include cancer, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, asthma, diarrhea, hepatitis, and loss of hearing. Farmer education helps prevent deaths by increasing public awareness (M=3.02), makes farmers environmentally literate (M=3.42), teaches better health and safety (M=3.50), teaches safe handling of pollutants (M=3.54), among others. Regular farmer education in the forms of training and workshops, field demonstrations, online resources, and mobile applications should be given to the farmers.