Abstract:
Pesticides are commonly employed in agriculture to safeguard crops and maintain
productivity, and their improper handling and misuse pose considerable health and
environmentalhazards. This study to assess the influence of farmers'knowledge and
attitudes on the promoting of safe pesticide handling practices among farmers in the
Seethawaka DS division of the Colombo district. A structured questionnaire survey was
administered to 100 farmers purposively selected, and quantitative data were analyzed
utilizing descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression techniques with
SPSS version 26. The results indicated that both knowledge (p : 0.007) and attitude (p
: 01000) exefted a statistically significant positive influence on safe pesticide usage,
suggesting that informed and safety-oriented farmers are more inclined to adhere to
recommended practices for handling, storage, and disposal. Among socio-demographic
variables, the type of farming involvement (p : 0.034) and primary income source (p
:0.004) exhibited significant associations, whereas education and gender did not reach
statistical significance. The results show that knowledge and positive attitudes are more
importantthan demographic factors when it comes to safe pesticide use. The study finds
that to protect both people and the environment, it is important to improve farmer
education, give regular safety training, and make agricultural extension services
stronger
