Assessment of pesticide knowledge, Safety Practices and postharvest handling among cocoa farmers in South Western Nigeria

Cocoa beans are susceptible to fungal contamination during processing and storage. The knowledge of the use of pesticides and post-harvest handling of cocoa beans among farmers is of great importance for safe consumption. The study evaluated common cocoa production and post-harvest practices of farmers in selected study locations in South Western Nigeria. Primary data were collected through the administration of structured questionnaires, and interviews. The collected data were analyzed using inferential descriptive statistics. The results of 394 farmers showed that 52.9% in Osun and 47.3% in Oyo were primarily farmers by occupation, the rest had other ventures. The majority of cocoa farmers were men:83.6% in Oyo State, 88.2% in Osun state and 87.9% in Ondo state. 28.6% and 32.7% of farmers were aged 51-60 in the Ondo and Oyo communities, respectively. Osun farming communities are dominated by young adults (51%) of 31-50 years, followed by Ondo 40% and36% of farmers in Oyo State. Most cocoa farmers were married with 4-6 children as the most common household size in Osun (51%), Ondo (60.4%) and 49.1% in Oyo State. The literacy level of farmers in cocoa communities was the highest in Oyo state where 47.3% had tertiary education. Farmers in Oyo State had better knowledge of the dangers of pesticides than Ondo and Osun. However, ignorance of dangers in agrochemicals was higher among Osun farmers than in Ondo State. The highest (18%) pesticide use during storage was recorded among Oyo farmers, while the least (11.0%) was recorded among farmers in Ondo State. Pesticide usage was more abundant in Osun (50%) during cocoa production than in the other study areas. The majority of farmers were positively disposed to make use of nose masks during agrochemical application, meanwhile, 69%, 62%, and 61% of farmers used them already in Oyo, Ondo, and Osun states, respectively. Educational qualification (χ2=9.176, p=0.027) of cocoa farmers was significantly related to knowledge of best practices. Farmers with higher education have a greater ability to receive and process information relating to global best practices in production, postharvest, and pesticide handling in cocoa. In conclusion, cocoa farmers' knowledge of processing, use of pesticides, and storage practices differed from one location to another. Intensive orientation and more enlightenment by extension workers against indiscriminate use of pesticides in cocoa plantations and stores must be consistently and continuously done.