Assessing the persistent use of pesticides and adoption of climate-smart pest management practices among the vegetable growers in the Western zone of Tamil Nadu

Vegetable crops, vital to the global food chain, may be significantly impacted by climate change. Increased pests and diseases, low yields, crop failures and deteriorating quality issues under adverse climate make it unprofitable. Climate-Smart Pest Management (CSPM) practices combine with intensive surveillance to minimise the hazards of persistent use of pesticides to human health and the environment. Vegetable cultivation is predominant in the Western zone of Tamil Nadu as its topography and climatic factors favour year-round production. A sample of 120 farmers was selected from Dharmapuri, Namakkal and Coimbatore districts. The major pesticides used are organophosphates, carbamates, organochlorines, monocrotophos, methyl parathion, endosulfan etc. More than 70 % of the farmers are applying pesticides than the recommended level. Farmers don’t know the ill effects of overuse due to a lack of awareness and apply it more frequently due to very high pest infestation in tomato, brinjal, bhendi, cauliflower and onion. About 15-20 times, the pesticides were sprayed from flowering to harvest, which may be a greater risk. Pesticide use intensity is on average 2-5 kg a.i./ha for tomato, brinjal and bhendi, cauliflower and onion. The relationship between farmers' perception of the adverse effects suggested that farmers who perceive higher risks of pesticides are more likely to adopt those practices and vice versa. The Ordinal logistic regression implied that the increased yield, reduced input cost, higher market prices and reduced health hazards demonstrate the high, medium and low levels of adoption and beneficial effects of the CSPM practices. Promotion of CSPM to the non-adopters requires massive sensitisation programmes and training, demonstrations, provision of subsidies, support price and financial assistance as strategies to be followed.