ABSTRACT:

The current level of pesticide use among farmers in Kuje, Kwali, and Gwagwalada Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja was examined. The study was carried out between February and March 2019, using a purposive sampling procedure and interactive sessions held with the council officials to find out the specific institutional support available to the farmers; advisory or direct farm inputs. All the respondents admitted using synthetic chemicals as farm inputs to address specific tasks; 48.5, 39.4, and 12.1 % indicated their use as inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, and soil amendment substances, respectively. According to respondents, parameters commonly used to assess efficacy include less incidence of pests’ infestation (5.8%); less incidence of disease (8.8 %); reduced losses (35.3%), and better yield (50 %). These results indicated that agricultural food production activities in the three area councils rely heavily on the use of synthetic pesticides. Farmers’ acceptance of natural alternatives to the use of synthetic chemicals was low as confirmed by the findings of this current study.