Awareness Level of Producers in Terms of Agricultural Environmental Pollution: The Case of The Eastern Mediterranean Region

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to reveal the knowledge level of the chemical inputs (fertilizers and pesticides) used by farmers regarding their effects on nature and human health. In the study, TR63 Region consisting of Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Osmaniye Provinces was selected as the research area. The main material of the study is the primary data obtained through individual interviews from farmers engaged in agricultural production in the TR63 Region. In this context, a total of 152 producers selected by simple random sampling in three provinces were interviewed face to face and descriptive statistics and Chi-square independence test were used as analysis. The producers with an average age of 49 have been spraying for an average of 19.43 years, fertilizing for 21.92 years and irrigation for 22.31 years. A significant portion of the producers know that the excessive use of the chemical inputs they use harms the ecology and human health, but they still continue to use it them. The most important finding of the study is that, as a result of the analysis, it has been determined that the age, gender, education level and income levels of the producers do not have a statistically significant effect on the frequency of chemical fertilizer and pesticide use. The main reason for this is that the main concern of the producers is not the environment but the loss of income.