Economic Analysis of Farm Hazards Associated with the Use of Agrochemicals on Agricultural Farms (Report‪)‬

Introduction In spite of the important contributions of agrochemicals in crop improvement for optimum yields, experts have still raised serious questions concerning their deleterious effects on human health and the environment. Agrochemical mishandling perhaps constitute one of the most severe farm operation hazards confronting farmers and their produce. Notable among such operations are wrong application time and dosages, ignorance of safety precautions and the use of adulterated or expired agrochemicals in circulation (Oboh et al, 2006). Agrochemicals encompass fertilizers and agricultural pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, acaricides, molluscides, herbicides, and plant regulators (Ayoola and Idachaba, 1990). The devastating effects of agrochemical mishandling are usually manifested in form of phytoxicity in crops, contamination of surface and underground water sources, poisoning of livestock, destruction of soil organisms as well as a threat to farmers' health. (Tekwa, and Apagu, 2008; Amalu, 1998; Don-Pedro, 1990). Human fatalities have been reported due to prolonged exposure to large doses of very toxic pesticides and herbicides as much as death of livestock from grazing on contaminated fields (Wilcox, 2006). Excessive use of nitrogenous (N) fertilizers such as urea could cause eutrophication and other associated life threatening problems to soil biomass and some aquatic lives. Fumigants were also found to pose severe effects on both soil flora and fauna population than any other pesticides (Brady and Wiels, 2002). Recent research works have documented valuable evidences on the hazardous effects of agrochemicals on aquaculture, crops, livestock, environment and human health (Adesiyan 1990; Amalu 1998; Ekpe, 2003; Hassan et al, 2007). Previously, few awareness studies were also conducted on the subject matter with little or no emphasis on its resultant economic implications. In view of the above, this study was therefore designed to examine the economic implications of farm hazards associated with agrochemical utilization on some farms in Mubi environment.