Vine protection on family farms: decision making and pesticide use

Abstract

Family farming is defined as the one which is managed by the family and uses mostly family labor. In the north of Portugal, family farm products are primarily intended for consumption by the household, and secondarily for local sale. Grape production is in many farms the main source of income, and is the one in which the farmer is willing to apply more pesticides to guarantee the quantity and quality required for processing. However, vineyard family farmers do not always register their practices and are rarely subject to any controls. Therefore, the way in which decision-making and compliance with the rules are carried out in these farms are not known. To understand the decision-making processes regarding phytosanitary treatments of these farmers, as well as their perception and caution with the use of pesticides, a checklist-type questionnaire was applied to a sample of 109 family farmers in the NUTIII region in Portugal. Issues related to: i) sociodemographic characteristics, and ii) agricultural practices related to the vineyard protection, were analyzed. The univariate data analysis was associated with the application of a principal component analysis (PCA). The obtained results reveal that the use of pesticides in family farm vineyards is a widespread practice and that the decision making and choice of the pesticide is, in most situations, carried out without the necessary caution, technical monitoring or registration. Respondents with a higher level of education say that they are more careful about the use of pesticides and individual protection. The younger and more educated age groups are more compliant when it comes to regulatory obligations such as the registrations.