Table 4.
Farmers’ annual contact time to irrigation water and farm soil per contact type and farm activity
| Variable | % of farmers involved in activity at peak period % (N = 80) | Percentage of farmers with contact to faecal contamination, % (n) | Median (IQR) contact time, h/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed Preparation (n = 19) | 30 (24) | 25 (16, 39) | |
| Hand-to-soil | 100 (19) | 24 (14, 39) | |
| Feet-to-soil | 90 (17) | 24 (16, 33) | |
| Hand-to-mouth/face, nr/y* | 58 (11) | 85 (45, 227) | |
| Transplanting (n = 11) | 18 (14) | 18 (13, 45) | |
| Hand-to-soil | 100 (11) | 18 (13, 45) | |
| Feet-to-soil | 100.(11) | 18 (13, 45) | |
| Hand-to-mouth/face, nr/y | 36 (4) | 85 (57, 270) | |
| Soil tilling (Forking, n = 36) | 56 (45) | 150 (83, 290) | |
| Hand-to-soil | 97 (35) | 152 (84, 308) | |
| Feet-to-soil | 92 (33) | 144 (81, 273) | |
| Hand-to-mouth/face, nr/y | 61 (22) | 454 (227, 852) | |
| Weed Removal (n = 42) | 66 (53) | 99 (47, 189) | |
| Hand-to-soil | 100 (42) | 99 (47, 189) | |
| Feet-to-soil | 98 (41) | 95 (47, 189) | |
| Hand-to-mouth/face, nr/y | 48 (20) | 256 (128, 852) | |
| Irrigation (n = 55) | 86 (69) | 1113 (426, 1617) | |
| Hand-to-irrigation water | 93 (51) | 1278 (451, 1633) | |
| Feet-to-soil | 89 (49) | 1278 (450, 1633) | |
| Feet-to-irrigation water | 91 (50) | 1295 (451, 1633) | |
| Total hand-to-soil contact** | 100 (80) | 86 (69) | 1339 (909, 1732) |
| Total feet-to-soil contact† | 100 (80) | 93 (74) | 2002 (1625, 2300) |
| Total hand-to-mouth contact events | 100 (80) | 53 (42) | 3181 (1704, 5964) |
nr/y* = number of events per year
** Total hand-to-soil contact for 5 farm activities – bed preparation, transplanting, soil tilling, weed removal and harvesting
† Total feet-to-soil contact for 8 farm activities - bed preparation, transplanting, soil tilling, weed removal, irrigation, spraying, harvesting and transport of produce to roadside