ASSESSING CURRENT USING AND ENHANCING FARMER’S AWARENESS ABOUT BIO-PESTICIDE ON TEA IN HONG THAI 2 VILLAGE, TAN CUONG COMMUNE, THAI NGUYEN CITY

Abstract

Tea is the main source of income for farmers in Tan Cuong commune, Thai Nguyen city. Due to high market demand and tea prices, farmers use more pesticides to protect their tea from insect damages and to increase tea productivity. To ensure tea production, farmers often use chemical pesticides over allowed dose. However, the use of chemical pesticides leads to environmental and farmer’s health risks. Recently, bio-pesticides have been extensively used throughout the world because some researches have shown that the use of bio-pesticides has positive environmental effects. Bio-pesticide residues do not affect agricultural products, do not pollute the surrounding environment and affect human health. This study aims to investigate the use situation of bio-pesticides in Hong Thai 2 village, Tan Cuong commune, Thai Nguyen city, Thai Nguyen province. Sixty-two tea farmers were selected randomly in Hong Thai 2 village for interview the use of bio-pesticides.

The results indicated that the proportion of farmers using bio-pesticides was 93.5%. Among 4 farmers did not apply bio- pesticides, 2 farmers did not attend any training course and 2 other farmers just attended training course once a year.

Accordingly, 74% of famers using bio-pesticide was male, the most popular age group of using bio-pesticides was from 30 to 50 years old, and 75.8% of household having 3 to 5 members used bio-pesticide. Besides, the income of household also has significant effect on the use of bio-pesticides.

Based on this study, it can raise people’s awareness and responsibility of local administrator. Therefore, suggest a better policy, strictly law also encouragement to farmer and local authority to have mechanisms in supporting farmers to use bio-pesticides on tea plants.