Perception of Human and Environmental Health Risk Due to The Use of Agrochemicals in The Puno Region, Peru

Abstract

Introduction: The use of agrochemicals in agriculture is very widespread in the Peruvian highland region. However, farmers have little knowledge about the health risk posed by the inappropriate use of agrochemicals in agriculture. Objective: To know the risk perception for human health and the environment, of the use and handling agrochemicals in agriculture in the peasant communities of the Circumlacustrine area of Lake Titicaca in the Puno region. Methods: Two hundred fifty-five semi-structured interviews were applied to farmers of legal age, from different agro-ecological zones in the Puno region, during the agricultural campaign from November 2021 to May 2022. Data collection was carried out through five dimensions of risk: susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers and signals for action. Results: 43.54% of farmers “agreed” about the harmfulness of using agrochemicals for human health and the environment. There was risk perception 3.15 times higher in young individuals than in older adults. Women perceived 2.14 times greater risk to their health than men. Subjects with higher level of education perceived the risks 4.28 times higher than those with a lower level of education. Farmers who used different types of agrochemicals perceived the risk to their health to be 3.39 times higher compared to those who used just one. Conclusions: The general perception of farmers about the risk to human and environmental health was negative and it was associated with the excessive use of pesticides, while the propensity for their excessive use decreased significantly in those interviewed with higher level of education and younger age.