Assessing health and environmental risks as regards pesticide practices of vegetable growers in the rural city of Tori-Bossito in southern Benin

Pesticide use is an obvious fact for African small farmers to optimize cotton and vegetable yield. In contrast to cotton farmers, vegetable growers do not benefit by continuous training. They simply get some pesticides of which they ignore the toxicity and directions for use from the local market. In an attempt to assess health and environmental risks deriving from pesticide use, an investigation was carried out among 108 small vegetable growers in a rural city of Benin. Sixteen pesticides were found: nine insecticides, six fungicides and one nematicide. The pesticides the most frequently found were the formulations of lambdacyhalothrin, profenofos, mancozeb and thiophanate-methyl. The majority of vegetable growers (97%) used pyrethrinoids. Organophosphorates, carbamates and benzimidazoles were used respectively by 85%, 41% and 32% of the growers. Vegetable growers often used unadapted insecticides. The way to use pesticides, lack of suitable protective equipment and stock conditions increased the risks for farmers and consumers.