Adoption Behaviour of Vegetable Growers towards Protective Measures for Pesticide Residue Management in Bharuch District of Gujarat

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the adoption behaviour of vegetable growers towards recommended protective measures for pesticide residue management in Bharuch district, Gujarat. Using an ex-post facto research design, primary field data were systematically collected from 120 proportionally sampled respondents from February 2026 to April 2026. The empirical findings revealed that a significant majority of the growers (75.00%) exhibited low-to-medium levels of safety adoption, indicating a critical gap in field-level protective practices. Correlation analysis showed that education (r = 0.666**), scientific orientation (r = 0.474**), farming experience (r = 0.407**), mass media exposure (r = 0.354**), and extension contact (r = 0.315**) were positively and significantly related to adoption, whereas age (r = -0.655**) showed a negative association. Regression analysis indicated that education (b = 0.477), farming experience (b = 0.415), and mass media exposure (b = 0.189) contributed positively, while age (b = -0.652) and risk orientation (b = -0.213) had negative influences on adoption behaviour. Stepwise multiple regression analysis highlighted that education, scientific orientation, age, and social participation were the primary determinants of adoption behaviour, cumulatively explaining 51.60% (R² = 0.516) of the total variation. Path analysis confirmed that educational attainment exerted the highest positive direct effect (0.477) on adoption, whereas age showed the strongest negative direct effect (-0.652). Practically, these results indicate that targeting extension interventions towards older farming groups while strengthening localised scientific training can help mitigate pesticide residue contamination risks and improve local food safety compliance.