Rice Farmers’ Perceptions and Experiences of Exposure When Storing, Using, and Disposing of Insecticide and Implications for Policy Development for Its Safe Use

Improper and unsafe insecticide handling in India remains a concern due to limited awareness and training, despite existing regulations. Using a phenomenological approach, the study gathered insights through semistructured interviews with seven farmers and farm workers in Odisha, India. The study identified environmental change, increasing crop vulnerability to pests, financial burdens, and modern cultivation methods as drivers leading to increased usage of insecticides. Farmers often relied on vendors for guidance rather than label instructions, highlighting the need for clearer communication and improved presentation of instructions to aid comprehension. Disposal practices such as releasing contaminated water into fields or canals and discarding containers by burying, burning, or selling pose risks to human health and the environment. The findings indicate there are systemic barriers to good practice, such as inadequate training or education, a lack of enforcement of regulations on safe handling, and a lack of infrastructure and financial resources for pesticide safe use and disposal. Addressing these issues requires comprehensive reforms, such as stronger policy implementation, more effective enforcement mechanisms, and sustained awareness-raising initiatives. Specific policy recommendations include clearer insecticide labeling, mandatory PPE provision, vendor training, promotion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and biopesticides, safe disposal practices, and stronger enforcement of pesticide regulations.