Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
FRESENIUS ENVIRONMENTAL BULLETIN, cilt.27, sa.10, ss.6884-6893, 2018 (SCI-Expanded)
The use of hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides in intensive farming became widespread after the Green Revolution. While it generated increased productivity in the short term, intensive farming has caused negative effects on human and environmental health in the long run. As a result, sustainable farming has been proposed as an alternative to intensive farming even though intensive farming practices continue to be dominant among producers as a form of production. In this study, face-to-face interviews were conducted on 114 farmers in Yuregir Plain, Adana province, Turkey. For data analysis, chi-square statistic in SPPS software was used. The results of the study showed that 67.5% of producers favoured the use of excessive amounts of chemical fertilizers which damages the soil, while 86.8% favoured the use of excessive amounts of chemical pesticides which damages human and environment health. The chi-square independence test did not reveal any correlation between the opinions of producers on the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and the use of chemical inputs. This study therefore highlights that producers' awareness about the negative impact of using excessive chemical inputs on human and environmental health do not prevent them from continuing intensive agricultural production with chemical inputs.