Abstract:
The use of pesticides in agriculture is taken as alternative for increasing crops production and thus having sufficient food for population. However, continuous application of these chemicals has increasingly generated negative effects to the environment including farmers’ diseases. Due to its high quantity in surface water allowing easy irrigation, the Eastern province of Rwanda is taken as garret for the production of fruits and vegetables. To protect these crops against various pests and to increase productivity, farmers in this region apply different types of pesticides using one way or another, depending on either their financial capacity or their intellectual skills and the risks for their intoxication and food contamination. This study aimed at knowing types of pesticides used in Eastern province of Rwanda, assessing their presence in different crops and advising consumers and policymakers. Types of these pesticides were known through a survey conducted to farmers and pesticides sellers, while chemical analysis from tomatoes, cabbages and orange was realized using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Results from the survey realized on 272 farmers and 21 pesticides sellers indicated that Cypermethrin, Profenofos and Abamectin are the most applied insecticides while Mancozeb and Metalaxyl were the most fungicides used in this province. The method used by farmers to apply these chemicals indicated different illegal ways leading to the risk of human intoxication. Lack of trainings, mismanagement of agrochemicals, lack of personal protective equipment and appropriate spraying materials, are ones of the remarked issues. Yet, results from chemical analysis of pesticides residues showed that 23%, 13% and 12% of samples of tomatoes, cabbages and oranges, respectively are contaminated by pesticide residues. The most detected pesticide in tomato samples was Abamectin (1.25 ppm) followed by Cypermethrin (0.80 ppm), while the higher concentration of Profenofos was detected in both orange and cabbage with values of 1.19 and 1.06 ppm, respectively. Abamectin was detected in both orange and cabbage at concentrations of 1.10 and 0.85 ppm, respectively. Cypermetrin, Abamectin and Profenofos were detected in all analyzed samples of tomato, cabbage and orange. From this study, it was remarked that improvement of awareness on pesticides usage is highly needed for farmers, pesticides dealers and crops consumers to avoid possible risk of health intoxication. The analysis of the pesticides residues in all treated crops, soils, water and biological samples from this region are recommended for future studies.
