Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Pesticide Use and Farmer Practices in Traditional and Modern Date Palm Groves in Morocco

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed and compared pesticide use practices and safety behaviors among farmers in traditional and modern date palm groves in Errachidia Province, Morocco. METHODS: A stratified cross-sectional survey targeting active pesticide users was conducted between April 2022 and April 2023. Of 278 farmers initially screened, 166 active pesticide users completed the full questionnaire: 79 from traditional oases and all 87 from modern farms. RESULTS: Results showed widespread reliance on chemical pesticides in both systems (91.0% and 97.7%, respectively). Educational attainment was low, with over 90% of respondents having primary education or less, and illiteracy rates of 42.3% (traditional) and 34.1% (modern). Formal pesticide training was nearly absent (0% and 5.75%). Most respondents did not read or follow pesticide labels (95.6% and 90.8%), and product selection relied mainly on peers in traditional systems (73.0%) and sellers in modern farms (73.6%). Personal protective equipment use was insufficient in both groups: gloves were used by 51.4% and 72.4%, oro-nasal masks by 42.1% and 58.0%, and immediate post-application showering was reported by only 5.7% and 7.0% of respondents, respectively. Improper container disposal was common in both systems (>60% discarding on or near farms). These findings suggest that pesticide misuse is not confined to traditional systems but also occurs in modern date palm farms, potentially through different decision-making pathways. CONCLUSION: Although modern farms showed higher rates of PPE use and more preventive treatment approaches, these differences did not correspond to comprehensively safer practices overall. The results highlight the need for system-specific, context-adapted interventions to improve pesticide safety in Moroccan oasis agriculture.