Farmers' behavior in reading and using risk information displayed on pesticide labels: a test with the theory of planned behavior

Labels are the first source of information for the safe use of pesticides, but farmers rarely read labels before pesticide use. Using data from a sample of 300 orchard farmers in Meshginshar County, Iran, this study examined farmers' intention and behavior in reading and using risk information displayed on pesticide labels, using the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

Only 26% of the respondents mentioned that they read pesticide labels. Most farmers showed a low tendency towards reading pesticide labels due to low education, advanced age, and label-related problems, i.e., use of too technical language and unclear texts with small and illegible fonts. From the three basic variables of the TPB, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (PBC) showed a significant impact on intention, while attitudes showed no significant impact. The three main variables of the TPB explained 90.2% of the variance in farmers' intention to read and use the labels. Furthermore, PBC and intention significantly affected farmers' actual behavior in reading and using the labels, explaining 78.5% of the variance in farmers' actual behavior. Age, experience in farming, and experience in spraying were negatively correlated with all variables of the TPB.

Findings provide new insights into farmers' behavior in reading pesticide labels by using for the first time the TPB. Pesticide manufacturers should consider the special conditions of subsistence farmers (low education and advanced age) when preparing pesticide labels and the extension services could use those findings to improve farmers' training in the use of pesticide labels. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.