Eco-Friendly Pesticide Adoption Among Maize Farmers in Southern Mozambique: Environmental and Health Outcomes

Eco-friendly pesticides have shown promise in reducing environmental pollution and health risks associated with conventional chemical pesticides among smallholder farmers in developing countries. A mixed-method approach was employed, including a survey targeting 120 randomly selected maize farmers and qualitative interviews with 15 key informants. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative insights. Farmers reported an average reduction in pesticide use of 37% after adopting eco-friendly pesticides, demonstrating a significant shift towards more sustainable agricultural practices. The adoption of eco-friendly pesticides by maize farmers in Southern Mozambique is associated with improved environmental health outcomes and reduced exposure to harmful chemicals. Government support for farmer training programmes on eco-friendly pesticide use and extension services should be strengthened to ensure wider adoption and benefits among smallholder farmers. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.