8 pages, Purpose
Inappropriate application of pesticides is quite common in the study area, causing health issues and in some cases fatalities. The intent of the current study is to gauge the farmers’ level of knowledge on the safe usage of pesticides and biosafety to keep the famers healthy through the focused extension programs.
Methodology
The study is carried out in 41 union councils of Tehsil Sahiwal, District Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan. Data are collected through a cluster sampling technique by conducting face-to-face interviews. Statistical analysis is used to determine relationships and interpret them.
Results
The findings show that the majority of farmers (87.2%) earn their livelihoods from farming and 2.1% are traders. More than half of the respondents (51.8%) own small land-holdings with an area of 4–8 ha, with only 16.4% having a land area of more than 12 ha. The results also reveal that the majority of respondents obtain information from private agents and only about one third (34.4%) respondents get information on the safe usage of pesticides from the Department of Agriculture (Extension). The internet has emerged as a fast and reliable source of information in the new paradigm; however, only 14.4% of the respondents take advantage of this economical and fast information tool/medium. The findings also reveal that the farmers employ unhealthy and poor practices by not following the recommendations regarding the safe usage of pesticides. The study also reveals that more than half of the farmers (54.4%) use unsafe storage practices on their farms, and about 48.2% do not follow the instructions.
Conclusions
Inappropriate application of pesticides can have negative effects on human health and the adoption safety measures are necessary to avoid the harmful effects of pesticides. Due to high illiteracy in the area, farmers mainly seek advice of neighboring farmers, having ignorance on the biosafety issues. Variables like education level, land ownership, total land size and the trainings on safe pesticide usage significantly influence the knowledge level of farmers on the safe usage of pesticides.
Recommendations
Farmers do not follow the recommendations of the extension department or the instructions printed on pesticide bottles/containers, therefore educational (formal and informal) and training programs are necessary on the safe pesticide usage to upgrade their skills and expertise on safe usage of pesticides and the importance of biosafety.
8 pages, Street foods play an important role in the lives of urban population members in developing countries. The food industry provides many job opportunities. The food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices of vendors are important aspects, as these individuals provide food and nourishment at very low prices to people all over the world. Most street foods are unhealthy because of the high risk of contamination, which poses a serious threat to food safety. The present study aimed to assess the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of vendors and the most significant influencing factors of these aspects with the help of cluster analysis to categorize vendors. The present study focused on 100 vendors who were randomly selected from different locations in Lucknow city. The information was collected through a structured questionnaire using the KAP (Knowledge Attitude Practice) scale for food safety. Vendors were clustered on the basis of the KAP using two-step cluster analysis and a chi -square test to assess the impact of various personal factors on the KAP. The results of the study indicated that street vendors are significantly differentiated on the basis of qualifications, knowledge, attitude and practices. Awareness and training programs should be implemented to improve the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices among vendors. Once food safety standards are acceptable, it will then be critical to ensure that poor people in developed cities such as Lucknow can earn a living through a "convenient" enterprise such as street food vending.
4 pages., Article #:3TOT9, via online journal., The Wisconsin Master Gardener Program team used the Google+ Community platform to provide an engaging online discussion forum for asynchronous continuing education experiences. Applications of such a tool for volunteer online education have numerous benefits, including the capacity for asynchronous posting, ease of posting, privacy options, wide availability, and the potential for internal troubleshooting.
9 pages., Article # 6RIB5, via online journal., Oklahoma Extension educators encountered barriers related to trainings and program delivery for a caregiver education program produced by Oklahoma State University Extension. Oklahoma family and consumer sciences educators were interviewed about perceived barriers to attending trainings and delivering the program. Findings indicated that staff shortages, program prioritization, challenges in developing an audience, and communication issues with the program team made it difficult for educators to engage with the program. Strategies for improvement based on the findings were devised.
Online from publication. 9 pages., Advice from a fresh produce marketer with more than 30 years of experience in a supermarket chain. "The environment you want is one of being a merchant. ... It is somewhat of a lost art in today's fast paced world of data, low price and lack of labor."
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 159 Document Number: D07700
Notes:
Full dissertation available online at:
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UFE0049760/00001, Executive summary of doctoral dissertation, Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida, Gainesville. 5 pages.
5 pages., Article #: 3TOT6, via online journal., A statewide need for Latino cultural competency training for Utah State University (USU) Extension personnel was identified. The solution involved the collaborative efforts of our team of two USU Extension faculty members and one Washington State University (WSU) Extension faculty member on adaption and customization of a needs assessment tool and a training program originated at WSU. Our collaboration leveraged important limited resources such as subject-matter expertise, training materials, time, and funding while providing a venue for feedback and ideas to improve, update, and enhance an existing program. Garnering administrative support from the start is key to successful cross-state collaborative work and implementation of specialized training to expand Latino outreach capacity in Extension.
