**2.2 Study design and data collection tools**

*Emerging Contaminants*

**1. Introduction**

or soil [5].

whole country.

**2. Material and methods**

**2.1 Study area**

**1.1 Background of the study**

In parallel with the line of feeding 9.8 billion people by 2050, agricultural productions are largely expanding and intensifying [1]. The agricultural sector that made a living for 65% of poor working adults living in the developing world [2], includes the largest segment of society afflicted with the greatest amount of pesticide exposure [3]. Farmers and farmworkers put themselves at risk of pesticide poisoning during the production process [4]. They are routinely exposed to toxic pesticides via spray, drift or direct contact with pesticide residues on treated crops

Excessive and indiscriminate use of the most infamous synthetic organic chemicals, specifically chlorinated hydrocarbons like DDT, left a long-lasting imprint on every atom on earth since the beginning of the green revolution to date [6]. Despite the early alarming signs on the gruesome effects of these chemicals, such as the sharp decline of the bald eagle and other birds in the highest trophic levels of the food chain [7], the ascendency of using these chemicals pressed onward. This entailed unintentional pesticide exposure to the general population via food consumption [3, 8].

In Ethiopia, the agricultural sector is a source of livelihood for more than 80% of the population and represents more than three quarters of national exports [9], which impacts that almost 80% of the population in Ethiopia contributes to posing negative health issues to both humans and the environment, leading to the prevalence of acute and chronic health issues among people in the whole population [10, 11]. Hence, addressing this problem will have practical benefits for Ethiopia and will contribute to understanding of this widespread phenomenon among farmers almost in the

Unsafe practices exhibited by farmers in Ethiopia included the frequent mixing of highly toxic pesticides, unsafe storage and unsafe transport methods [12], unsafe disposal of empty pesticide containers [10**]**, spraying while barefooted, using obsolete pesticides [13**]**, selling illegal, expired, hazardous, unknown, repacked pesticides in small containers without any labeling, manufacturing or expiry date by unauthorized and untrained people in shops and local village in open markets [13], reusing empty insecticide containers for food and potable water, washing pesticide-contaminated work clothing with the family clothes and using highly toxic insecticides to treat head lice, fleas, bedbugs, and even to try to cure open

Few researches in Ethiopia were conducted concerning the same area of study [10–12, 15], and further studies about pesticide use and pesticide-related illnesses are needed to develop more effective approaches for protecting farmers from pesticide exposure and moving the targets towards organic farming, resulting in having

The study was conducted at Finchawa and Tullo rural kebeles in Hawella Tula sub city, which is located in Hawassa City Administration, Sidama, Ethiopia. Tullo and Finchawa are considered the catchment area of Lake Hawassa. The area lies on 1728 meters above sea level. The land form is plain [16], and has tropical savanna climate with two seasons [17]**.** The mean annual temperature is 20.9 °C with

wounds using malathion and (DDT), sometimes with fatal results [14].

a healthy community free of disabilities and other dysfunctional diseases.

**94**

A cross-sectional survey with both qualitative and quantitative data collection research design were employed. The study was conducted between June and September 2020. The study also applied concurrent triangulation in data collection, where both qualitative and quantitative data were collected in one phase of the research study and equally weighted. A concurrent triangulation procedure is the model mostly employed when researchers first consider mixed methods as it results in a shorter data collection time period [18]. The three different primary data sources used in this study were a standardized questionnaire, key informant interview and a document review.
