Two socio-economic surveys were conducted in Jhiku Khola Watershed (JKW) area in
Kabhrepalanchok district of Nepal for understanding the general socio-economics, farming
systems and pesticide use in agriculture. An average household owns 0.60 ha of land. Most of
the households depend on agriculture for their livelihood and use pesticides for protecting
their crops from various pest attacks. Rice, maize, wheat and mustard are treated 1 - 3 times
per crop cycle whereas potato, tomato, cabbage, bittergourd and cucumber are treated 2 - 15
times. Farmers have low knowledge on pesticides and their uses, as a result, general
precautionary measures are also lacking. The enforcement of pesticide regulation is very poor.
The share of pesticides in the cost of production of various crops grown ranges from 0 %
(wheat) to 8.41 % (bittergourd). This share being moderate and economically justifiable has
stimulated the farmers to use pesticides without thinking their negative impact on human
health and the environment. Increasing the awareness of farmers and enforcement of pesticide
regulations are needed to improve the situation.