Agriculture relies on the widespread application of nitrogen fertilisers to improve crop yields and meet the demands of a growing population. However, the excessive use of these fertilisers has led to significant water quality challenges, posing risks to aquatic life, ecosystems, and human health. This study examines the relationship between synthetic nitrogen fertiliser usage and water pollution while identifying gaps in existing research to guide future studies. A systematic search across databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and Greenfile) identified 18 studies with quantitative data, synthesised using a single-group meta-analysis of means. As the data were continuous, the mean was used as the effect measure, and a random-effects model was applied due to varied study populations, with missing data estimated through statistical assumptions. The meta-analysis found an average nitrate concentration of 34.283 mg/L (95% confidence interval: 29.290–39.276), demonstrating the significant impact of nitrogen fertilisers on water quality. While this average remains marginally below the thresholds set by the World Health Organization (50 mg/L NO₃⁻) and EU Nitrate Directive, it exceeds the United States Environmental Protection Agency limit (44.3 mg/L NO₃⁻), signalling potential health risks, especially in vulnerable or unregulated regions. The high observed heterogeneity (I² = 100%) suggests that factors such as soil type, agricultural practices, application rate, and environmental conditions influence nitrate levels. While agriculture is a key contributor, other anthropogenic activities may also affect nitrate concentrations. Future research should comprehensively assess all influencing factors to determine the precise impact of nitrogen fertilisers on water quality.

This study investigated the decision-making dynamics for pro-environmental behavior among Thai university students, focusing on reducing the consumption of single-use plastics (SUP). By adopting a dynamic approach to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the research examined the influence of psychosocial factors, including attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms, on SUP reduction intention at different phases of behavior change. Using structural equation modelling, we analyzed quantitative data (n = 317) from the selected universities. The results revealed that attitudes predicted behavioral intentions only among individuals in the contemplation phase of reducing SUP. Attitudes had a small but limited influence on the behavioral intentions of students who had not yet acted. Perceived behavioral control, on the other hand, significantly impacted behavioral intentions across all phases of behavior change, highlighting its importance in SUP reduction. The study also confirmed subjective norms’ positive influence on students’ behavioral intentions in the pre-contemplation phase. Practical implications suggested segmenting residents based on their behavior change phase so that public policymakers can allocate resources more efficiently and effectively by tailoring campaigns to specific behavior change phases, ultimately promoting sustainable behavior among university students.

There is a strong link between pesticide exposure risk and farmers’ safety behavior. However, there is a lack of understanding of farmers’ safety behavior in pesticide use and the psychological fac...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the roles of stakeholders on cocoa farmers’ safe pesticide use in Nigeria using the socio-ecological model as the theoretical framework. Methods: This was a cross-sectional qualitative study where participants were purposefully selected based on some criteria. Then, they were interviewed in-depth using a semi-structured interview approach. The interview guide was designed based on other literature and the study objectives. The interview transcripts were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the content analysis technique. Results: In all, 57 participants were involved in the interview process across all the study locations. Five layers of influence (cocoa farmers, pesticide retailers, extension officers, pesticide importers and government agencies) were considered. At individual level, cocoa farmers complained about lack of information from other stakeholders regarding pesticide use except retailers due to the farmers’ proximity to their stores. However, pesticide safety information from the retailers were found to be inadequate due to their interest in financial gains rather than a focus on human health and the environment. Additionally, most retailers had no understanding about the characteristics of products they sold as they could not read pesticide labels. Furthermore, lack of motivations, human resources and facilities hindered effective extension education in the rural communities. Also, pesticide importers took efforts to train the farmers within their network, but majority of these trainings focused on lead farmers who were expected to disseminate the information to others. Besides, the agencies did organize training or workshop sometimes, but it was inadequate due to budget constraint. Lastly, environmental or agri-policies relating to Nigerian cocoa farmers concerning safe pesticide use and disposal were also inadequate. Conclusion: Generally, there was a large information gap with respect to pesticide safety between cocoa farmers and other stakeholders which undermined pesticide use safety. This study highlighted the need for government agencies in Nigeria to develop mechanisms to monitor information exchange among other stakeholders and cocoa farmers with respect to safe pesticide use and disposal.

A study in Nigeria examined the psychological factors affecting face mask disposal behavior (DB) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used, with awareness of consequences and institutional barriers added. 1183 respondents completed an online survey, and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The original TPB model revealed that attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms explained 65% of the variance in respondents' behavior. Behavioral intention and perceived behavioral control accounted for 59.3% of the variance in DB. The extended TPB model, which included awareness of consequences and perceived institutional barriers, improved the model's explanatory power by 12.8%. Both TPB models adequately predicted face mask (FM) disposal behavior, with implications for policymakers and waste management authorities to design interventions to promote proper FM disposal behavior.