Safe Pesticide Use and Farm Records Level 2

About this module

Level 1 taught you to spray safely. Level 2 teaches you to spray only when you must, to prove what you did, and to protect other people.

Who it is for. People who have finished Safe Pesticide Use and Farm Records (Level 1), or who can show the same skills. National Proficiency II covers varied work, mostly routine, under limited supervision.

One rule above all. This book never prints a product name with a dose, a rate, a dilution, a waiting time or a re-entry time. Those numbers belong on the label of an EPA-registered product. Where a number is needed, the book says "copy it from the label into your diary". The practice cards in the exercises use pretend products and pretend numbers so you can learn the sums; they are not advice for any real product.

CTVET status. No CTVET competency-based programme in safe pesticide use was found. This module is not a CTVET curriculum. It follows CTVET's format so it can be put forward later.

Law status. Pesticides are now controlled under the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), which brought the earlier pesticide law together. The rules in this book apply either way. Whether the older Pesticides Control and Management Act, 1996 (Act 528) still stands on its own is not verified: ask the EPA Western Region office. The section numbers quoted from Act 528 below are from the text of that Act as read.

Bridge from Level 1: what you already know

Safety and law: only EPA-registered pesticides may be used; selling or using unregistered products is an offence
Reading a label: product name, EPA number, active ingredient, colour band, signal word, pictograms, crop and pest, directions, PPE, first aid, storage, disposal, batch and expiry
PPE: what to wear, how to wash it separately, bathing after spraying
Mixing and calibrating with water; applying; the safe steps from start to finish
Storage and disposal: locked store, triple rinse, puncture, never reuse a container
Poisoning signs, first aid awareness, calling 112 and the nearest clinic; scouting at a basic level
Business basics: spray helper, keeping a simple diary

Level 1 did not teach you IPM in depth, the full calibration formula and sprayer care, how to choose between products, residue and buyer rules, group spraying, health checks and incident reporting. Level 2 covers all of these.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, in line with the 30% school and 70% workplace split of CTVET's Oil Palm programme.

Unit 1 · Integrated pest management in depth

The cheapest and safest spray is the one you never need to make.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria: the trainee…
1.1 Scout a field	walks a set pattern, counts pests and damage, and records results
1.2 Use thresholds	decides whether to act, wait or re-scout, using a written action level
1.3 Choose non-chemical controls	names cultural, biological, trap and botanical methods and says when each helps
1.4 Slow down resistance	explains why repeated use of one product fails and what to do about it

Range. A vegetable plot, a cocoa block or an oil-palm or cassava field. Evidence. Scouting sheet; decision record; oral questions.

What IPM is

Integrated pest management (IPM) means you watch the field on a regular schedule, count what you find, and use low-risk controls first. You spray a chemical only when the numbers show you need to. The main parts are scouting at regular intervals, action thresholds (the pest level or damage at which control pays), natural enemies, and lower-risk controls before chemicals.

IPM is taught in Ghana and across Africa through Farmer Field Schools, where a group studies one field through the whole season. FAO has a free guide for Farmer Field Schools on the fall armyworm on maize, and FAO's regional programme in West Africa has worked with more than 180,000 farmers since 2001.

What your trainer must tell you. The sources read for this book describe IPM in general. Ghana-specific figures for traps and crop rotation were not found. Where this unit gives general practice without a source, it says so. Ask your MoFA extension agent which pests are common in your area this season.

The IPM ladder

Work up the ladder. Do not jump to the top.

Step	What you do	Cost
1 Prevent	healthy seedlings, clean tools, good spacing, rotation, sanitation	low
2 Watch	scout on a fixed day each week and record it	time only
3 Decide	compare the count with your action level	none
4 Use low-risk controls	hand-picking, traps, pruning, botanical or biological products	low to medium
5 Chemical, if needed	a registered product, chosen with Unit 3, applied as in Level 1	highest
6 Check	re-scout after treatment and record the result	time only

Scouting step by step

Scout a field

Tools: a notebook and pencil, a hand lens, a bag for samples, a phone for photos, and the scouting sheet below.

Choose the same day and time each week (early morning is usually best because insects are active and easy to see: general practice).
Divide the field into blocks of similar age and crop. Scout each block separately.
Walk a set pattern, such as a "W" or a zigzag, so you cover the whole block and not only the edge (general extension practice; not verified from a read source).
Stop at 10 to 20 points in each block. At each point look at the whole plant: top, underside of leaves, stem and base.
Count the pests, the damaged plants and the natural enemies (ladybirds, spiders, wasps). Write each count in the table. Record what you see, not what you expect.
Take a photo or sample of anything you cannot name and show it to the extension agent.
Add up each block. Work out the average per plant or the percentage of plants damaged.
Compare with your action level (below). Write your decision: act, wait, or re-scout in 3 days.
Sign and date the sheet.

Date	Block	Crop and stage	Points checked	Pest counted	Damaged plants	Natural enemies	Weather	Decision	Initials

Percentage damaged = (damaged plants ÷ plants checked) × 100.

Action thresholds

An action threshold is the point where the damage you will lose is bigger than the cost of control. A pest below the threshold may be left alone, and the natural enemies keep it down. Thresholds depend on the crop, the pest and the growth stage, and this book does not print any numbers. Ask the MoFA district office or a trusted researcher for the written action level for your crop in your area, and write it at the top of your scouting sheet. If there is no written level, use this simple rule (an adviser's rule, not a law): re-scout in three days; act only if the count is rising and the crop is at a stage that can still be damaged.

Percentage damaged

You check 20 plants in Block A and find 3 with damage. In Block B you check 25 plants and find 6 with damage. Which block has the higher percentage? If your written action level were 20% (pretend number), which block needs a decision to act?

Cultural controls

Cultural controls change how you grow the crop so pests find it harder to live there.

Healthy seedlings: start with strong, clean planting material. Weak plants attract more damage.
Crop rotation: do not plant the same crop family in the same spot every season, so pests that stay in the soil lose their food.
Sanitation: remove and destroy badly infested plant parts and crop residues. Wash tools between plots.
Spacing and weeding: air movement and clean ground reduce some diseases.
Planting time: plant when the pest is less active, if the extension agent knows the pattern.
Cocoa swollen shoot: there is no chemical control; infected trees are cut out, so report suspect trees to the extension officer.

(See the Basic Vegetable Production and Cocoa Farm Rehabilitation and Good Practices manuals for crop-specific steps.) Ghana-specific sources for traps and rotation were not found beyond those two manuals.

Biological control

Biological control uses living helpers: ladybirds, lacewings, spiders and wasps that eat or parasitise pests. You protect them by not spraying when you do not need to and by keeping flowering plants and cover near the field. A broad chemical spray can kill the helpers as well as the pests, and pests can then return faster. You cannot count natural enemies if you do not look, so write them on the sheet.

Traps and hand control

Hand-picking: egg masses, caterpillars and beetles can be removed by hand with gloves, then crushed or dropped into soapy water.
Sticky or coloured traps: a yellow card with sticky coating catches many small flying insects. Hang one every few rows at plant height, check weekly, count and record the catch. A rising catch is an early warning (general practice; no Ghana source found).
Barriers and nets: nets over a nursery bed keep some insects off seedlings.
Pruning: cut out infested shoots and remove them from the field.

Botanical products: neem

A botanical product comes from a plant. In Ghana, University of Ghana researchers found that an aqueous neem seed extract gave the fewest diamondback moth and webworm of the treatments in a cabbage trial and the highest marketable yield, and the authors say it can be used by resource-poor farmers. CABI Plantwise with the University of Ghana trained 44 vegetable farmers (38 men, 6 women) in Anloga in the Volta Region, and the sequence shown was: collect mature neem fruits, remove the pulp, dry the seeds, pound them into a paste, mix with water, strain, spray.

No amounts in this book. The sources read give no soaking time, no dilution, and no safety advice, and this book will not invent them. A botanical product is still a chemical mixture: wear gloves, goggles and a mask, keep it away from food and water, and label the container. Learn the exact method from a trained extension officer or from the University of Ghana trainers and write what they say in your logbook. A registered botanical product on sale in a shop has a label; follow it.

Resistance: why the same spray stops working

When you use the same product again and again, the few pests that survive pass on their toughness. After some seasons the product no longer works and you are tempted to spray more. IPM slows this: spray rarely, only above the action level, and do not rely on one product. The next unit on choosing products shows how a label's active ingredient helps you avoid repeating it (general principle; a Ghana source was not read, so ask the extension agent for the groups your pests are known to resist).

Run a mini field school

Work in a group of four on a plot of vegetables, a cocoa block or a school garden.

Write the pest and damage list from a local extension source.
Scout two blocks using the steps above. Each member counts 5 points.
Add the counts and work out the percentage damaged for each block.
Look for natural enemies. List each one and draw it.
Choose one cultural, one trap or hand method and one botanical idea, and say which you would try first.
Write the decision: act, wait or re-scout.
Present your sheet to the class in three minutes.

Three-week scouting record

Scout a plot at home or on a farm once a week for three weeks. Fill in a new sheet each time. At the end write one paragraph: did the pest numbers go up, down, or stay the same, and what did you decide each week?

Check yourself: Unit 1

What is an action threshold?
Name two steps on the IPM ladder that come before using a chemical.
Why is it harmful to spray when the pest count is below the action level?

Unit 2 · Calibration maths and sprayer maintenance

A sprayer that is not calibrated is a guess. Water costs nothing, so learn the sums with water.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria: the trainee…
2.1 Measure walking speed, flow and swath	records each with the correct unit and repeats to check
2.2 Calculate water volume	uses the formula to find litres per hectare and per acre
2.3 Plan tank loads	works out how many tanks a field needs
2.4 Convert a label amount to a tank	uses the water volume to turn a label amount into an amount per tank, using the label's own number
2.5 Maintain a sprayer	cleans, inspects and stores a sprayer and replaces a worn nozzle

Range. A knapsack sprayer, water only. Evidence. Calibration sheet with workings; maintenance record; oral questions.

Why calibrate

Calibration tells you how much water your sprayer puts on a given area. The label then tells you how much product goes into a tank of that size. The book never gives the product amount. Too little can fail and encourage resistance; too much wastes money, harms the crop, leaves residues and pollutes water.

Two kinds of knapsack sprayer are described in FAO test specifications: lever-operated (LK) and motorised (MK).

The calibration steps with water

Calibrate a knapsack sprayer

Tools: clean knapsack sprayer, clean water, a 100 m rope or tape with pegs, a stopwatch, a measuring jug marked in millilitres, a tape measure, a notebook, a calculator.

Check the sprayer. No leaks, a clean nozzle, a nozzle that is not worn. Replace a damaged nozzle first.
Fill with clean water and pump to your normal working pressure.
Measure speed. Mark 100 m on the same kind of ground as the field. Time how long you take to walk it while spraying, pumping the lever as you will in the field. Repeat 2 or 3 times and take the average.
Work out speed. Speed (km/h) = 360 ÷ seconds for 100 m.
Measure flow. Spray into the jug for one minute. Flow (L/min) is the volume collected.
Measure the swath. Hold the nozzle at working height and spray over dry ground. Measure the width of the wet strip in metres.
Calculate the water volume (L/ha) = (flow × 600) ÷ (speed × swath).
Field volume = L/ha × hectares. (1 acre = 0.4047 ha; 1 ha = 2.471 acres.)
Tank loads = field volume ÷ tank size.
Write every number and every sum in your calibration sheet and sign it.

(Steps and formulas from the water-only calibration worksheets. The arithmetic was checked by script.)

Worked example 1 (all numbers are an example)

You walk 100 m in 72 seconds. Flow is 1.0 L/min. The swath is 1.5 m.

Speed = 360 ÷ 72 = 5 km/h.
Volume = (1.0 × 600) ÷ (5 × 1.5) = 600 ÷ 7.5 = 80 L/ha.
Per acre: 80 × 0.4047 = 32.38 L.
A 16 L tank covers 16 ÷ 32.38 = about 0.49 acre; a 20 L tank covers 20 ÷ 80 = 0.25 ha = about 0.62 acre.

Worked example 2: a field and its tank loads (example)

A field is 3 acres. Your calibration gave 80 L/ha and you use a 20 L tank.

Field in hectares = 3 × 0.4047 = 1.2141 ha.
Water = 1.2141 × 80 = 97.13 L.
Tank loads = 97.13 ÷ 20 = 4.86, so 5 loads: four full tanks (80 L) and a fifth of 17.13 L.
Mix the last load for only 17.13 L of water. Do not mix a full tank you cannot use.

Worked example 3: why speed matters (example)

Same flow 1.0 L/min and swath 1.5 m. If you walk faster, 100 m in 60 s, speed = 6 km/h and the volume = 600 ÷ (6 × 1.5) = 66.7 L/ha. If you walk slower, 100 m in 90 s, speed = 4 km/h and the volume = 600 ÷ (4 × 1.5) = 100 L/ha. A fast walker puts on less than the calibrated volume, a slow walker puts on more. Calibrate for the speed you will really walk, and walk that speed on the day.

Worked example 4: from the label amount to the tank (pretend numbers)

Labels give the product either per hectare or per tank or per litre of water. Always copy the number from the label into your diary. The arithmetic is the same each time. Here is the pattern with a pretend product whose label says "2 units per hectare". Your calibration gave 80 L/ha and your tank holds 20 L.

Area covered by one tank = 20 ÷ 80 = 0.25 ha.
Product per tank = 2 × 0.25 = 0.5 unit.

These are pretend units, not millilitres, and this is not a dose for any real product. For a real product the number comes from the label, and the label may also say which water volume it was written for. If the label's water volume and your calibrated volume are very different, ask the dealer or extension agent before you spray.

Never change the product. It is an offence to mix other things into a registered pesticide so as to change its formulation or use. Do not add soap, detergent, oil or another product unless the label says so.

Calibration practice (water only)

A trainee walks 100 m in 90 seconds, collects 0.8 L in one minute, and measures a swath of 1.2 m.

What is the walking speed?
What is the volume in L/ha?
How many litres per acre?
A farmer has 2 acres. How much water is needed, and how many 16 L tank loads?
Why should the trainee repeat the walk?

Checking the sprayer

A nozzle wears with use, so the flow rises. Check the flow with water every time you start a new season and every few weeks of heavy use. If the flow is clearly higher than when the nozzle was new, replace the nozzle. Do not try to enlarge or clear a nozzle with wire or by blowing it with your mouth. The wear limit differs by nozzle type, so use the number in the maker's manual or ask the dealer (not verified here).

For example, if a nozzle that gave 1.0 L/min now gives 1.2 L/min, the volume at 5 km/h and 1.5 m swath becomes (1.2 × 600) ÷ (5 × 1.5) = 96 L/ha: that is 20% more than the 80 L/ha you calibrated for. If you did not know, you would over-apply by a fifth.

Sprayer maintenance routine

Clean, check and store a sprayer

Tools: clean water, a soft brush, a bucket, a spare washer or seal set, spare nozzle, PPE, a lockable store.

After spraying, empty the tank at the end of the job in the area you sprayed, not into a drain, stream or well. Follow your Level 1 rinse-water steps.
Rinse the tank, hose, lance and nozzle with clean water. Run clean water through the nozzle.
Clean the filter and nozzle with a soft brush. Never use a pin, wire or your mouth.
Wash the outside of the sprayer, straps and handle.
Check for leaks at the lid, hose joints and pump. Check the straps and padding.
Replace any perished washer, seal or cracked hose.
Release the pressure and leave the tank lid loose so it can dry.
Store the sprayer dry, upside down or on a rack, in the locked chemical store or a separate locked place, away from children and away from food.
Log the date, what was cleaned and what was replaced.

(Sprayer care is common extension practice; the sources read for this book did not give a full maintenance routine, so ask the dealer for the maker's manual.)

Sprayer prices

Asking prices on Jiji Ghana (listings, not verified; listing dates unknown): manual 16 L about GH¢159 to 260; 20 L manual GH¢420; battery 18 L GH¢699 to 799; motorised about GH¢2,500 to 3,499. Get three quotes before you buy. Buy from a licensed dealer who can show you the maker's manual and sell spare parts.

Calibrate at home

Calibrate a sprayer (water only) with a trainer or a dealer. Fill in the calibration sheet with all workings. Then work out the water needed and the number of tanks for a field of your own choice (give the size in acres and in hectares).

Check yourself: Unit 2

Write the formula for water volume in L/ha.
A trainee walks 100 m in 120 seconds. What is the speed?
Why must you never enlarge a worn nozzle with a wire?

Unit 3 · Choosing products safely

The label does not only tell you how to use a product. It tells you whether to buy it.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria: the trainee…
3.1 Read the hazard class and colour band	says what each band means and what it does not
3.2 Check registration	finds the EPA number and confirms it with an official source
3.3 Spot fake, banned or damaged products	uses a checklist before buying
3.4 Choose and record a product	follows a written choice sequence
3.5 Plan resistance management	rotates by active ingredient, not by brand name

Range. A label (washed empty container or printed practice label) and a dealer's shop. Evidence. Label check sheet; shop visit report; oral questions.

The law behind "registered"

Under Act 528, no person may import, export, manufacture, distribute, advertise, sell or use a pesticide in Ghana unless it is registered by the EPA (section 1). The EPA classifies each product as general use, restricted use, suspended or banned (section 4). Registration is valid for up to 3 years and may be renewed for 3 years at a time (section 12). The EPA keeps a register and publishes the list of registered, provisionally cleared, suspended and banned pesticides in the Gazette each year (sections 15 and 16). The Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124) also makes it unlawful to deal in unregistered pesticides, from manufacture to use (section 47(3)), and says entities that manufacture, formulate, import, export, store, advertise or commercially apply pesticides must be licensed.

The EPA reported about 1,070 registered pesticides and 32 fake products banned as of December 2023. The current register by name was not reachable when this book was written, so the book gives no list. A toxicologist has claimed the register is not updated as often as the EPA must do it; that claim is not verified.

Hazard classes and colour bands

The WHO sorts pesticides by how dangerous they are from a single or short-term exposure, called acute hazard. The 2019 edition replaced the 2009 list.

WHO class	Meaning	Colour band on many labels
Ia	extremely hazardous	red
Ib	highly hazardous	red
II	moderately hazardous	yellow
III	slightly hazardous	blue
U	unlikely to cause acute hazard in normal use	green

This table is from a discussion digest that quotes FAO and WHO guidance, so check the band on your actual Ghana label.

What a colour does not tell you. The band shows only sudden (acute) danger. It does not show long-term effects, harm to bees or fish, or harm to water. Colour does not give clear information on all hazards and risks. A "green" product still needs PPE if the label says so. The 2022 FAO and WHO labelling guidance revised the band to reflect chronic as well as acute toxicity, so labels may change. Always read the whole label.

What a label must tell you

Use the Level 1 label checklist, now with a buying eye: product name; EPA registration number; active ingredient; type (insecticide, fungicide, herbicide); colour band and signal word; pictograms; the crops and pests it is for; directions with the numbers you copy into your diary; PPE; first aid; storage; disposal; manufacturer and distributor address; batch number; expiry date. A label that is torn, faded or in a language you cannot read is a reason not to buy.

Fake and unsafe products: the buyer's checklist

The EPA lists these signs of a counterfeit: the product is unregistered, the labelling is poor or in a foreign language, the manufacturer or distributor address is missing, and the expiry date and batch number are missing.

EPA registration number is printed on the label
Label is in English and complete, not photocopied or torn
Manufacturer and distributor address present
Expiry date and batch number present, and the product is not expired
Container is the original, with an intact seal and no leaks
Sold by a licensed dealer in a shop, not from a bag or a roadside
The dealer gives a receipt with the product name, date and batch
Price is not suspiciously low

It is an offence to sell a deteriorated product, to alter a label, or to put a pesticide into a different container. If a dealer pours pesticide into a bottle or a sachet for you, do not buy it: the label and the batch are lost.

Cocoa, vegetables and others

Cocoa: farmers should use only products recommended by COCOBOD and CRIG, but a study found some use unapproved products because they are cheaper. Ask your COCOBOD extension officer for the current recommended list.
Vegetables: the registered list does not decide whether a product may be used on a given crop. The label names the crops. If your crop is not on the label, do not use the product on it; ask the extension agent.
Banned or restricted: whether a particular active ingredient is banned in Ghana was not verified from a source for this book, so do not rely on talk in the market. Ask the EPA Western Region office, or the dealer for the registration number, and check it.

A choice sequence: choose, then write down why

Choose a product on paper

Your trainer gives you a scouting sheet that says "act" and a dealer shelf of practice labels. Work in order:

Is spraying needed? Re-read your scouting sheet and the IPM ladder. If not, stop.
Is there a lower-risk option? A trap, hand control, or a registered botanical or biological product.
Find products whose label names your crop and your pest.
Check registration: EPA number present; ask the dealer for the number and confirm it with the EPA Western Region or your MoFA district office.
Compare hazard bands. Where two products work on the same pest, choose the one with the lower acute hazard band (an adviser's rule).
Check the active ingredient and the date of the last use of that active ingredient on this field (for resistance, below).
Read the directions: is the waiting time before harvest compatible with your harvest plan? Copy the number into your diary.
Check the PPE: do you have everything the label asks for, in good condition?
Check the container: seal, label, batch, expiry.
Write the reason in your diary: pest, count, why this product, why this choice.
Buy only what you need for this application and keep the receipt.

Resistance management by rotation

A product's label shows the active ingredient. Two brand names can contain the same active ingredient. Rotating "brands" may therefore not rotate anything. Write the active ingredient in your diary for every spray. Do not use the same active ingredient on the same field twice in a row if the label allows an alternative. Ask the extension agent for the groups (modes of action) of the active ingredients on your crop, because this book did not find a Ghana source for them (general principle; not verified).

Spot the problems

A dealer offers you a bottle with a handwritten label, no expiry date and no address, at half the usual price. Another dealer offers a sealed container with a full English label, an EPA number, a batch and expiry date, and gives a receipt. A third product has the same active ingredient as the one you used last week.

Which offer would you refuse, and why? List the problems.
What is wrong with buying the third product?
Who can you ask to confirm the registration?

Shop visit

Visit a licensed agro-input dealer in your area (with a trainer). Write the dealer's licence status (ask politely), and look at five labels. For each, list the EPA number, active ingredient, colour band, expiry date and batch. Do not copy any dose into your report. Note any product that fails the buyer's checklist.

Check yourself: Unit 3

What does a red colour band show, and what does it not show?
Name three signs of a counterfeit pesticide.
Why is changing brands not always rotating?

Unit 4 · Residues, markets and traceability

Your buyer cannot see how you sprayed. Your records are your word.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria: the trainee…
4.1 Explain residues and limits	defines residue, MRL and pre-harvest interval
4.2 Plan harvest from the label	works out the earliest safe harvest date with a date sum
4.3 Describe buyer and export rules	explains why some produce is rejected
4.4 Keep a traceable record	links a harvest batch to the field and spray diary

Range. One crop on one field. Evidence. Harvest planning sheet; traceability record; oral questions.

Residues, MRL and PHI

A residue is what is left of a pesticide on or in a crop after spraying. A maximum residue limit (MRL) is the highest residue expected when a product is used as labelled. The pre-harvest interval (PHI) is the minimum time between the last spray and harvest, and it protects the MRL. The PHI is printed on the label and is product-specific, so this book gives none. The re-entry interval (REI) is the time after spraying before people may do hand work in the field. Copy both from the label into your diary. International MRLs used in trade (Codex) come from scientific advice by the FAO and WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues.

The law backs this up: no one may knowingly harvest or sell food treated with pesticides except in line with the prescribed interval between application and harvest (Act 528, section 21).

If you cannot read the label, do not guess a waiting time. A study in Ethiopia suggested waiting at least 72 hours when a label cannot be read, but that was a single study, not a regulation, and it is not a rule for Ghana. Ask a trainer, dealer or extension agent for the label's number.

The harvest planning sum

Harvest date = last spray date + PHI from the label. If your crop is ready sooner, you must wait or not use that product.

Harvest date practice (pretend card)

A pretend practice card says: "Pretend product. Waiting time before harvest: 5 days." (This is not a real product or number.)

You sprayed on 14 October. What is the earliest harvest date?
Your crop will be ready on 17 October. What do you do?
You sprayed on 28 October. What is the earliest harvest date?
Write the entry you would make in your diary.

What buyers and markets ask

Ghana's own checks are thin. The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) officer said in November 2025 that the FDA cannot analyse pesticide residues, only heavy metals; the last two surveys with the Ghana Standards Authority were in 2019 and 2023 and found residue levels within acceptable values, and regular surveys are not done because of limited resources. An older study of Accra markets (2010 to 2012) found almost all fruits and vegetables sampled above the MRLs.
EU rejections. The EU banned Ghana's chilli, aubergine, bitter gourd, luffa and bottle gourd for some years because of pest interceptions (harmful organisms), not residues. It ended around the end of 2017. Ghana then placed its own indefinite ban on leafy vegetable exports in 2019. Chilli exports have not recovered.
EU residue law. The EU sets limits under Regulation (EC) 396/2005.
Cocoa. Studies disagree: a 2017 study in Dormaa West found chlorpyrifos 0.04 and lambda-cyhalothrin 0.03 mg/kg, below the EU limit; a 2015 KNUST study found chlorpyrifos at 4.39 to 14.00 mg/kg in Central and Western samples, above the EU and Japan limits. (These two figures are results of old studies, not advice about doses.) 2023 to 2024 EU rejection data for Ghana was not found.

The lesson for a farmer: buyers cannot trust a word. They trust records, a clear harvest date after the PHI, and products that are registered.

Traceability

Traceability means that for any bag, crate or sack of produce you can say: which field it came from, when it was harvested, and what was sprayed on that field and when. A batch number links the harvest to the diary.

Build a traceability record

Tools: a notebook or loose sheets, a pen, permanent marker, labels or masking tape, a blank spray diary.

Give each field or block a name or number and draw a small sketch map.
For every harvest write a batch number that combines the field and the date (for example F2-20251019: pretend format).
Mark each bag, crate or sack with the batch number using a permanent marker or a label.
Write in the harvest log: batch number, date, crop, quantity, who harvested, and the buyer.
Open the spray diary for the same field. Find the last spray before harvest. Copy the product name, EPA number, active ingredient, date and the label's waiting time into the harvest log.
Check: harvest date is on or after the last spray date plus the label's waiting time. If not, stop: do not sell as normal. Tell the extension agent.
Keep a copy of the receipt for each product used, with the batch number from the label.
Give the buyer the batch number and, if asked, a copy of the log lines for that batch.

What buyers sometimes ask. Some buyers, exporters and cocoa programmes ask farmers for a spray record. The exact format differs; Ghana has no standard farmer form that we found. Ask your buyer what they need, and show them your diary.

One batch, one story

Choose a crop you grow or buy often. Make a mock harvest log with three batches. Link each to a mock spray line (use pretend products and numbers). Write one paragraph: if a buyer rejected one batch, how would the record help you find out why?

Check yourself: Unit 4

What is a pre-harvest interval and where do you find it?
A practice card says wait 4 days. You sprayed on 10 June. What is the earliest harvest date?
Why do buyers ask for records?

Unit 5 · Farm and spray records, group spraying and community safety

If it is not written down, it did not happen. If your neighbour is not warned, it was not safe.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria: the trainee…
5.1 Keep a spray diary	fills in a complete entry within the same day
5.2 Keep farm records	keeps stock, equipment, weather and cost records
5.3 Organise group spraying	plans roles, shared equipment and cost sharing
5.4 Protect the community	warns neighbours and protects children, water and pregnant women

Range. One farm or a small group of farmers. Evidence. Completed spray diary; group plan; community notice.

The spray diary

Most sources agree on what a spray diary holds. Record promptly: the longer you wait, the less accurate your record.

Field	Why it matters
Date, start and finish time	proves the interval before harvest
Farm and field or block	shows where
Crop and growth stage	the label may depend on stage
Target pest and scouting count	shows why you sprayed
Product name, EPA number, active ingredient	proves it was registered; supports rotation
Batch number and expiry date	helps in a recall
Amount of water per tank and amount of product per tank, as the label says	proves you followed the label
Area sprayed (acres or hectares)	links to calibration
Equipment used and nozzle	explains the volume
Who sprayed	responsibility and training
Weather: wind, rain, temperature	explains drift or washing off
PPE worn	shows safety
Waiting time (PHI) and re-entry time (REI) copied from the label	protects harvest and workers
Expected earliest harvest date	the sum from Unit 4
Notes on results	after re-scouting
Sign-off	person in charge

A printable diary line:

Date and times	Field and crop	Pest and count	Product, EPA no., active ingredient	Water and product per tank (from label)	Area	PPE	Weather	Label PHI and REI	Earliest harvest	Sprayer's name	Sign

How long to keep it. Sellers of pesticides must keep their records for 10 years under Act 528, section 28, but that rule is for dealers. A retention rule for farmers was not found. Business records for tax are kept for 6 years. As advice, keep spray diaries for at least two years, and longer if you sell to an export buyer.

Other farm records

Pesticide stock list: product, EPA number, batch, expiry, date received, quantity, date and amount used, date and how disposed.
Equipment log: calibration results, nozzle changes, repairs, cleaning.
Weather note: simple daily line: dry or rain, windy or calm.
PPE log: date issued, condition, who washed it.
Cost record: every product, PPE and labour cost for each spray, for each field.
Training and health notes: who has been trained, who felt unwell after spraying.

Fill in a spray diary

Use the practice label your trainer gives you (pretend product).
Fill in every column of the diary line for a pretend spray on a named field.
Swap with a partner. Check each other's line for missing columns and for the sum of the earliest harvest date.
Correct any gaps. Sign.

Group spraying and shared work

Working together saves money and lowers risk. A group can share sprayers, buy registered products together, and share a trained person.

Rules for a safe group:

Choose a leader who is trained and who keeps the group diary.
Write the roles: who mixes, who sprays, who watches the weather, who keeps children away, who keeps records and who cleans the sprayer.
Share the sprayer with a rota. Clean it between users and record who used it.
Buy together only from a licensed dealer. Keep the receipt and the labels with the leader. Each member signs for what they take.
Do not share PPE that does not fit or is not cleaned; each person gets their own gloves and mask, or they are washed and dried between users.
Spray one member's field at a time and keep a diary for each field, because each field has its own harvest date.
Share the costs fairly by area sprayed.

Cost sharing (all numbers are an example)

Five farmers buy one 20 L manual sprayer at GH¢420 (example, from the Jiji listing) and share a PPE set of GH¢150 (example). Total = 420 + 150 = GH¢570. Equal share = 570 ÷ 5 = GH¢114 each. If one farm is double the area of the others, an area-based split is fairer: the farmer with double area pays two shares and each of the other four pays one, so there are 6 shares: 570 ÷ 6 = GH¢95 per share; the big farm pays GH¢190, the others GH¢95 each (checked by script).

A group does not remove the law. Each person who sprays must follow the label and use PPE, and an employer must provide and require protective clothing (Act 528, section 21). In a group, the leader is responsible for making sure the PPE is there and used.

Community safety

Spray drift, spilled water and containers can harm people who never touched the pesticide.

Children. UNICEF Ghana says children are vulnerable from before birth when the mother is exposed. Children are also exposed when they buy pesticide, clean sprayers or handle used containers, not only when they spray. Children must never mix, spray, wash equipment, carry or play with pesticide containers.
Pregnant and breast-feeding women. The INKOTA information sheet links exposure to some pesticide groups in pregnancy with later developmental problems in children. No source gave a "pregnant women must not spray" law, but as an adviser's safety rule: do not let pregnant or breast-feeding women mix, spray, wash equipment or handle containers; give them tasks away from sprays. In a Kintampo survey, 69.3% of households that used pesticides said women helped spray, and half carried babies on their backs. A baby on the back must never be near a spray.
Water. The law recognises water pollution (section 31), and the EPA may restrict use in certain areas (section 24). No buffer distances for Ghana were found, so the rule is: keep mixing, rinsing and spraying well away from streams, wells, ponds and boreholes, never wash a sprayer or a container in a stream, and never spray when the product can run off to water.
Drift and neighbours. Spray only in light, steady wind blowing away from houses, crops, animals and water; stop if the wind changes. No wind-speed numbers are given because none was found from a read source (general principle; not verified).
Food and animals. Keep spray, mixing and rinsing away from food, cooking areas and animals. Keep animals off sprayed ground until the label says it is safe.

Community notice and map

Draw a map of a farm and its neighbours: houses, school, stream, well, path, other crops.
Mark the safe place to mix, the place to wash the sprayer, the store, and the wind direction on the day.
Write a notice in plain language (and in Fante if you can): "Spraying today on [field]. Keep children, animals and pregnant women away. Do not enter until [time from the label]."
Deliver or pin the notice to neighbours before spraying. Note the time you did this in the diary.
After spraying, put up a sign at the field edge until the re-entry time from the label has passed.

Cost and diary sums (example numbers)

Four farmers share one sprayer costing GH¢420 and one PPE set costing GH¢180 (both example). Farmer A has 4 acres, B has 2, C has 2, and D has 4.

What is the total cost?
What does each farmer pay if the cost is shared equally?
What does each pay if it is shared by area?

A group agreement

Write a one-page agreement for a spraying group of five: who is leader, who keeps the diary, how the sprayer is shared and cleaned, how costs are split, and what happens if someone breaks a safety rule.

Check yourself: Unit 5

Name five things that go in every spray diary entry.
Why must a baby never be carried on the back of someone spraying?
Why must a group diary have a separate line for each field?

Unit 6 · Health surveillance, accident response and reporting

Watch yourself, watch your team, and know the next ten minutes before an accident happens.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria: the trainee…
6.1 Watch for early signs	lists the signs of acute poisoning and checks the team each spray day
6.2 Respond to an accident	follows the steps for exposure, spill or container emergency
6.3 Keep an emergency plan	prepares a card with numbers, nearest clinic and transport
6.4 Report	records and reports a poisoning, spill or injury

Range. A spray day on a small farm. Evidence. Health-watch sheet; emergency card; incident report; role play.

This is not medical training. The steps below are first aid awareness from extension and university sources. Hospital treatment is for clinicians only. Take a first-aid course from the Ghana Red Cross Society or St John Ambulance Ghana. Rescuers protect themselves first. Call 112 for any serious case and take the product container or label to the clinic.

Health surveillance

Health surveillance means regular checks that catch harm early. For a small farm it can be simple.

Before the season: tell your clinic or nurse that you spray, and ask about any health check they can do. (No Ghana scheme for regular health checks of farmers who spray was found; ask the district health office.)
Before each spray day: ask each person "Do you feel well?" Anyone ill, tired, hungry, or recovering from a previous exposure should not spray.
During spraying: watch each other for signs. Never spray alone if you can avoid it.
After spraying: each person bathes, puts on clean clothes, and reports any sign on the same day.
Keep a note of who sprayed, for how long, and any complaint. If the same person is unwell again and again after spraying, stop their spraying and see a nurse or doctor.

Signs of early poisoning with some common insecticide groups (organophosphates): giddiness, headache, nausea, vomiting, heavy sweating, a tight chest and small pupils; severe signs are convulsions, unconsciousness and trouble breathing. Signs usually show within about 12 hours of exposure. Different products give different signs; the label's first-aid section and the container are the best guide for the doctor.

What to do: the first ten minutes

Exposure response drill (water only)

Practise with water and a trainer who plays the patient. Wear PPE in the drill. Nothing real is sprayed.

Stop the work. Switch off any motor; put the sprayer down away from people.
Protect yourself (gloves on) before touching a patient.
Move the person to fresh air and shade, away from the spray area.
Remove contaminated clothing at once and keep it separate in a bag.
Wash the skin with soap and plenty of clean water.
If the eye is splashed, flush with clean running water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Do not make the person vomit unless the label says to. Give nothing to eat or drink unless the label says so (not verified for all products).
Call 112 and get the person to a clinic or hospital quickly. Tell the clinic what the product is.
Take the container or label with you, not the product itself loose in a car with the patient.
Keep watch. If the person stops breathing and you are trained, do CPR (see your first-aid course).
Record the time, the signs, what you did and who was told.

The exact first aid for a given product is on its label.

Spills and leaks

General extension advice for a small spill on the ground or in a store is: keep people away, wear PPE, cover the spill with soil, sand or sawdust, sweep it into a labelled container, and do not wash it down a drain or into a stream. No read source supports these steps and they are not verified for Ghana. Ask the EPA or CropLife Ghana for their spill procedure at a training day, and write it into your logbook.

Fire or a leaking store

In a fire in a store, keep away from smoke and fumes, which may be poisonous. Call 112 and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), and tell them what products are inside using your stock list (Unit 5). Give the stock list to the firefighters when they arrive.

Emergency card

An emergency card is a small card kept at the store and in the diary.

Item	Write here
National emergency number	112 (the single number; older numbers 191, 192 and 193 may still work, but one 2020 news item said they were no longer effective: conflicting, so use 112)
Nearest clinic or hospital, and how to reach it	write name, phone, route
Transport: who has a motorbike, a car or a taxi, and their numbers	write names and numbers
Poison information	the Ghana Poison Control Centre exists under the Ghana Health Service; the Poisons Information and Control Centre at Ridge Hospital, Accra: 0302 244 733 or 0302 244 773 (24 hours); toll-free 0800 100 46 (2021 WHO directory); call 112 first in an emergency; phone once to confirm before you rely on it
EPA Western Region office	write phone; the EPA's head office page lists 050 6694760 and 050 6699466 and info@epa.gov.gh (confirm before use)
Product list at the store	attach the stock list
Name and number of the person in charge	write here

Reporting

Who reports what. Under Act 528, inspectors can investigate complaints of injury and water pollution, inspect equipment, stores and disposal areas, and take samples (section 31). Under the Labour Act 2003, an employer must report an occupational accident or disease as soon as practicable and not later than seven days (section 120).
Why report. Reports let the EPA and the Ghana Health Service see which products and practices harm people and take action.
Keep your own record. Date, time, place, person, product, what happened, signs, who was called, what was done, and what you will change.
If you think a product is fake or a dealer sold you an unregistered product, tell the EPA Western Region office and the district MoFA office, and keep the receipt and container (do not touch the contents).

Write an incident report

Read the accident story your trainer gives you (pretend).
Fill in a report: date, time, place, person, product, what happened, signs seen, what was done, who was called.
Use the 5 Whys (from Workplace Safety Level 2) to find the root cause.
Write three changes that would prevent a repeat.
Role-play the 112 call: say who you are, where you are, what happened, and that the patient was exposed to a pesticide.

Put the steps in order

Number these steps from 1 to 8 in the correct order for a person who has had pesticide spilt on their trousers during mixing.

(a) Wash skin with soap and plenty of clean water. (b) Stop work and move away from the spill. (c) Take the label to the clinic. (d) Put on gloves before touching the person. (e) Remove contaminated clothing and bag it. (f) Call 112 if there are signs. (g) Record what happened. (h) Move the person to fresh air.

Your emergency card

Make a real emergency card for your farm or a farm you know. Find and write the nearest clinic, the transport and the 112 number. Phone the clinic and ask if they can treat pesticide cases. Write what they say.

Check yourself: Unit 6

Name three early signs of organophosphate poisoning.
What do you take with a poisoned person to the clinic?
Within how many days must an employer report a work accident?

Unit 7 · Location, small business ideas, marketing and access

Farmers need safe, honest help with spraying. A trained and careful person can supply it, legally.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria: the trainee…
7.1 Choose a good location	names places with steady demand and says why
7.2 Price a service	works out a price per acre with costs and margin
7.3 Plan a small business	writes a one-page plan with legal limits
7.4 Market the service	uses WhatsApp Business, a Google Business Profile and referrals
7.5 Include everyone	names the tasks that suit people with different abilities

Range. A small spray-support or crop-advice service. Evidence. Quote; business plan; marketing material.

Know the legal limit before you sell a spraying service. Under Act 1124, entities that commercially apply pesticides must be licensed by the EPA. A community wiki (not official; summary only) says the EPA licenses importers, distributors, warehouses, retailers and Commercial Pest Controllers, with documents including a certificate of competence in pesticide handling and an EPA inspection. The licence fee and whether a small spraying gang needs it were not found. Call the EPA Western Region office before you charge money to spray for others. Until you know, you can sell non-spraying services (below) and spray only your own farm.

Location settings that give good returns

Cocoa areas: farmers use spraying gangs, and 22% of women cocoa farmers rely entirely on them, against 17% of men. COCOBOD's mass spraying uses a 7-member gang including a supervisor, and its monthly allowance for mechanics and spraying teams was raised from GH¢500 to GH¢700 for the 2025/26 season. Some farming leaders called on COCOBOD to end mass spraying in September 2025 and to prefer fertiliser.
Vegetable and irrigation areas, where pest pressure is high and records matter to buyers.
Near a licensed agro-input dealer, so you can send customers to a legal source.
Oil palm, cassava and plantain areas around Akwidaa, Takoradi and nearby districts.
Villages without a trained person to read labels and keep a diary.

Business ideas that do not break the law

Scouting service: weekly field walk, counts and a simple report. (No licence is needed to scout; check with the EPA if you also apply products.)
Spray diary and record keeping for farmers who sell to buyers who ask for records.
Sprayer calibration and nozzle service with water only, and clean and repair of sprayers.
PPE selling or refilling: boots, gloves, goggles, masks, aprons, from a licensed or legitimate shop; label a price list.
Training: a one-hour safety talk for a farmers' group, with a practice label and a water-only demonstration.
Traps and botanical-method demonstration days, taught with an extension officer.
Group buying support: help a group buy only from a licensed dealer, keep the receipts and share costs.
Container return help: collect rinsed and punctured containers for the dealer, MoFA or EPA once they give a route (Ghana has no scheme that we found, so ask the dealer).

Pricing a service: worked example (all numbers are an example)

Prices charged by private spraying services in Ghana were not found. Survey five farmers and write down what they pay.

Example: a scouting and diary service. You visit one farm of 4 acres once a week for a month. Your costs: transport GH¢30 a visit, printed sheets GH¢10 a month, your time 3 hours a visit at GH¢15 an hour.

Per visit: transport 30 + time (3 × 15 = 45) = GH¢75.
For 4 visits: 4 × 75 = GH¢300, plus sheets GH¢10 = GH¢310.
Add a 30% margin: 310 × 1.30 = GH¢403 for the month.
The farmer pays half now: GH¢201.50 deposit.

Break-even (all numbers are an example)

You start a water-only sprayer calibration and sprayer cleaning service. You buy one tool kit for GH¢350 and a printed manual set for GH¢50. Each job takes 2 hours, transport costs GH¢20, and you charge GH¢90 a job.

What is your profit per job?
How many jobs pay back the GH¢400 start-up cost?
If you do 6 jobs a month, what is the monthly profit after the start-up cost is paid?

Market yourself

Put your training dates and what you can do on a WhatsApp Business profile; the app has a business profile and automatic greeting and away messages.
Set up a Google Business Profile so people nearby can find you; verification can be by phone, email, video call or postcard (about 14 days).
Show a water-only calibration demonstration at the market or church. It builds trust without any chemical.
Show your diary to a farmer: a record is the best advert.
Take before and after photos of a clean, labelled store (with permission), and ask satisfied farmers for referrals.
Leave a card at licensed dealers, the district MoFA office and farmer groups.
Never claim a licence or a certificate you do not hold. Show the EPA registration number of any product you recommend and give the receipt.

Accessibility

Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 requires accessible public places and bans job discrimination. No source was found on adapted sprayers or spray roles, so the table below is the author's judgement; talk it through with each person, a health worker and the trainer.

Task	May suit	Adjustments that help
Scouting and counting	people with limited mobility or standing time; deaf people	a stool or a cart; rest breaks; a buddy for rough ground; a picture sheet
Keeping the spray diary	people who write seated, or who use assistive reading	tick-box diary; large print; a voice recorder; a trained helper to read labels
Training and demonstration	most people	sign interpreter or written briefing; picture cards; teaching in Fante
Calibration timing and recording	people who stand or sit	a helper to walk the 100 m; a stopwatch with large display
Dealer or advice work	people with limited mobility	a seat, a table, a phone
Heavy knapsack spraying	not suitable for people with some back, mobility, vision or breathing conditions	use a lighter task

Reading a label is a safety task. A person who cannot read the label must not spray alone. Use a trained helper to read and explain it, and use pictograms and colour bands as a first guide. Women farmers in the INKOTA study had less schooling (48% had no formal education, against 15% of men), and only 5% of women, against 65% of men, could tell approved from unapproved pesticides, so teach with demonstration and pictures, in groups with a reader. Ask your Assembly about help with tools or training for people with disabilities.

Make your plan and quote

List three places near you where a safe pesticide service is needed.
Choose one service from the list above and write the steps you would take.
Write a one-page quote for a pretend customer with each cost and the margin.
Write one WhatsApp Business greeting and a short profile.
Write the legal limit for your plan: what you will not do until you know the licence rules.
Present to the class in three minutes.

Phone the EPA

With a trainer, phone the EPA Western Region office. Ask: (1) does a person who sprays for others need a licence; (2) what is the fee; (3) where can I check the register of registered pesticides; (4) where do I take empty containers; (5) what number do I call for poison advice. Write the date, the person's name and their answers. Do not guess any answer you did not hear.

Check yourself: Unit 7

Name two business ideas in this unit that do not need you to spray for others.
Why must you not claim a licence you do not hold?
Who should help a person who cannot read a label?

Glossary

Term	Meaning
Competent / Not Yet Competent	The two possible results of a CBT assessment
IPM	Integrated pest management: watch, decide, use low-risk controls first, spray only when needed
Scouting	Walking the field on a set schedule to count pests, damage and natural enemies
Action threshold	The pest level or damage at which control is worth its cost
Biological control	Using living helpers such as ladybirds and spiders against pests
Botanical product	A pest-control product made from a plant, such as neem
Resistance	Pests that survive a product and pass on their toughness, so the product stops working
Active ingredient	The part of a product that kills the pest; shown on the label
Swath	The width of the strip a nozzle wets
Calibration	Measuring how much water your sprayer puts on an area
Acute hazard	Danger from a single or short-term exposure
Colour band	The coloured strip on a label showing acute hazard class
EPA registration number	The number that shows the product is registered with the EPA
Counterfeit	A fake product, often with a poor label and no registration
Residue	What is left of a pesticide on or in a crop
MRL	Maximum residue limit: the highest residue expected when a product is used as labelled
PHI	Pre-harvest interval: minimum time between last spray and harvest
REI	Re-entry interval: time before people may do hand work in a sprayed field
Traceability	Being able to link a batch of produce to its field and spray record
Drift	Spray carried by wind to places you did not mean to spray
Health surveillance	Regular checks to catch harm to health early
Emergency card	A small card with the numbers, clinic and transport for an accident

Logbook

Copy these pages into an exercise book. Your logbook is part of your assessment evidence.

Unit 1: scouting sheets; decision record; mini field school sheet; three-week record
Unit 2: calibration sheet with all workings; maintenance record; field and tank-load sums
Unit 3: label check sheet; buyer's checklist; shop visit report; choice sequence
Unit 4: harvest planning sheet; traceability record; harvest log
Unit 5: spray diary entries; stock list; group agreement; community notice and map
Unit 6: health-watch sheet; emergency card; incident report
Unit 7: quote; break-even; business plan; EPA phone-call notes
Every homework, dated

Self-check quiz

What is an action threshold?
Write the formula for the water volume in L/ha.
A trainee walks 100 m in 80 seconds. What is the speed in km/h?
Why is it wrong to enlarge a worn nozzle with a wire?
Name three signs that a pesticide may be counterfeit.
What does the colour band show, and what does it not show?
What is a pre-harvest interval and where do you find it?
You sprayed on 14 October and the practice card says wait 5 days. What is the earliest harvest date?
Name five things that go into a spray diary entry.
What do you do first, before you touch a person who has been splashed with pesticide?
Within how many days must an employer report a work accident?
Why must you check with the EPA before you charge to spray for other farmers?