title: Pesticide knowledge and practice among horticultural workers in the Lâm Đồng region, Vietnam: A case study of chrysanthemum and strawberries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Vietnam, large amounts of pesticides are being used in agriculture. Next to benefits for agriculture, pesticides impose a huge threat to the environment when they are used in the wrong way. The objective of this work was to determine the level of knowledge and awareness of the smallholder farmers towards the use of pesticides in Vietnam, Dà Lat region. Based on the collected data, an occupational and environmental risk assessment was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicate that the majority of the pesticide operators in the strawberry and chrysanthemum crops have a rather high education. Pesticide knowledge, on the other hand, is usually gained through experience with pests and diseases. Only 30% of the farmers consulted a pesticide specialist or government stewardship for information on (new) pesticide products. Pesticide usage is rather high with application frequencies up to once every three days during the wet season. Pesticide packages are stored to be incinerated (51%) or to be thrown away with the garbage/taken to the landfill (37%). Only a small percentage disposes the packages into the local river (2%). The use of personal protection equipment is well established. Occupational risk assessment showed that the re-entry worker is exposed to a high risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While a general awareness of the hazard of pesticides to human health and the environment is present, practical implementation of this awareness, however, is still limited in strawberry and chrysanthemum crop. The environmental risk evaluation indicated plant protection products of which the use should be limited.
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Laboratory of Crop Protection Chemistry, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Michael.houbraken@ugent.be.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Houbraken
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Ingvar
authors: I
authors: Bauweraerts
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Laboratory of Crop Protection Chemistry, Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Davina
authors: D
authors: Fevery
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Plant Production, In Vitro Biology and Horticulture, Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Marie-Christine
authors: MC
authors: Van Labeke
authors: Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Crop Protection, Laboratory of Crop Protection Chemistry, Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Pieter
authors: P
authors: Spanoghe
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D031202:Chrysanthemum; D005260:Female; D031985:Fragaria; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010575:Pesticides; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014744:Vietnam
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides
keywords: Agricultural pollution; Dà Lat Plateau; POCER; Pesticide; Survey