TY - JOUR
T1 - The Effects of Farmers’ Pesticide Safety Information Behavior on Pesticide Safety Practice
T2 - The Mediating Role of Safety Education
AU - Moon, Soo Hee
AU - Jang, Dong Heon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Korean Society of Environmental Agriculture 2026.
PY - 2026/3
Y1 - 2026/3
N2 - This study examined the structural relationships among Pesticide Safety Information Behavior (PSIB), Pesticide Safety Education (PSE), and Pesticide Safety Practices (PSP) among farmers. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 184 farmers in Jeonbuk State, Republic of Korea. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 29.0 and Amos 26.0 through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and bootstrapping analysis to examine the mediating effects. The results showed that Information Utilization and Information Awareness had significant positive effects on Pesticide Safety Education. In addition, Pesticide Safety Education had a significant positive effect on Pesticide Safety Practices, while Information Awareness also exerted a direct positive effect on Pesticide Safety Practices. In contrast, Information Seeking had no statistically significant effect on either Pesticide Safety Education or Pesticide Safety Practices. The bootstrapping analysis further confirmed that Pesticide Safety Education significantly mediated the relationships between Information Utilization and Pesticide Safety Practices, as well as between Information Awareness and Pesticide Safety Practices. These findings indicate that farmers' pesticide safety practices are promoted not merely by seeking information but by effectively utilizing pesticide safety information and strengthening their awareness through Pesticide Safety Education. The findings suggest that improving farmers' pesticide safety practices requires a shift from one-time educational programs toward participatory and customized safety education designed to strengthen farmers' information utilization capabilities. In particular, developing field-oriented educational content tailored to the needs of older farmers and specific crop types, together with practical support integrated with pesticide safety information systems, will be essential for promoting sustainable pesticide safety practices.
AB - This study examined the structural relationships among Pesticide Safety Information Behavior (PSIB), Pesticide Safety Education (PSE), and Pesticide Safety Practices (PSP) among farmers. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 184 farmers in Jeonbuk State, Republic of Korea. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 29.0 and Amos 26.0 through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and bootstrapping analysis to examine the mediating effects. The results showed that Information Utilization and Information Awareness had significant positive effects on Pesticide Safety Education. In addition, Pesticide Safety Education had a significant positive effect on Pesticide Safety Practices, while Information Awareness also exerted a direct positive effect on Pesticide Safety Practices. In contrast, Information Seeking had no statistically significant effect on either Pesticide Safety Education or Pesticide Safety Practices. The bootstrapping analysis further confirmed that Pesticide Safety Education significantly mediated the relationships between Information Utilization and Pesticide Safety Practices, as well as between Information Awareness and Pesticide Safety Practices. These findings indicate that farmers' pesticide safety practices are promoted not merely by seeking information but by effectively utilizing pesticide safety information and strengthening their awareness through Pesticide Safety Education. The findings suggest that improving farmers' pesticide safety practices requires a shift from one-time educational programs toward participatory and customized safety education designed to strengthen farmers' information utilization capabilities. In particular, developing field-oriented educational content tailored to the needs of older farmers and specific crop types, together with practical support integrated with pesticide safety information systems, will be essential for promoting sustainable pesticide safety practices.
KW - Pesticide safety education
KW - Pesticide safety information behavior
KW - Pesticide safety practice
KW - Structural equation modeling
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105048028443
U2 - 10.5338/KJEA.2026.45.12
DO - 10.5338/KJEA.2026.45.12
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:105048028443
SN - 1225-3537
VL - 45
SP - 140
EP - 150
JO - Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
JF - Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
ER -