Rural women’s Knowledge of the Harmful Effects of Household Pesticides and Ways to Reduce their Harm in Some Villages in Sharqia Governorate

The research mainly aimed to determine the degree of knowledge of the respondents about the harms of household pesticides used, and ways to reduce their harms, Identifying sources of information for rural women about the harmful effects of household pesticides and ways to reduce their harm. Using the Thompson Steven sampling method, 320 households where the selected villages were: Al-Jaafra, Al-Rawda, Kafr Abu Sharabiya, affiliated with the Faqus centers, Belbeis, and Kafr Saqr Ali, chosen at random from a study sample of 1924 families, and data collected using a questionnaire during August-September 2023. Important results More than half of the female respondents (58.1%) were in the category of medium level of knowledge about the harmful effects of household pesticides. Nearly two-thirds had an average level of knowledge about ways to reduce harm, (62.2%). The most important sources from which the respondents derive their information in this field are: personal sources (represented by personal experience and experience, friends and neighbors, then family and relatives), mass sources (represented by television programs, then the Internet), and finally specialized sources (represented by In: counselor or development specialist, professors at universities and research institutes, then reading newspapers, magazines, and specialized books. The research concluded with recommendations: planning and implementing extension programs to develop rural women's knowledge of the harmful effects of household pesticides, and how to preserve their health and families by resorting to methods to reduce its harms, increasing the effectiveness of the extension role and consolidating it by intensifying contact with rural women.