Survey of fertilizer and pesticide use among the farmers in the Casablanca-Settat region, Morocco

Abstract

Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides harms the environment, especially water resources and humans health through food. As part of the surface water monitoring’s in Morocco, we have conducted a survey with 100 farmers in El Gara, Berrechid Province (Casablanca-Settat Region). All of the interviewed farmers use of fertilizers and pesticides. 75% of them do not know how to use these products. Pesticides are used once a year by 44% of farmers, 70% applied them using a Jeep or a tractor, 3% of farmers wear special clothes while handling these products and 27% do so with bare hands. The use of the fertilizers by the farmers was done once a year, in varying proportions, based only on their own experience. Thus, the ammonium nitrate 33.5% N was used by 98% at an average rate of 130.9 Kg/ha, the NPK 10-30-10 was used by 95% at an average rate of 175 Kg/ha, the ammonium sulphate 21 % N was used by 66% at an average rate of 121.9 Kg/ha and finally urea 46% N was used by 46% of farmers at an average rate of 67.9 Kg/ha. These practices are not sustainable in the long term because they will harm ecosystems balance by causing damages to the environment and therefore to human health thus not in support of sustainable agriculture.

Keywords: Fertilizer, pesticides, environment; ,farmers, survey