Vol.: (0123456789) Environ Monit Assess (2024) 196:955 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-13124-w RESEARCH Dumpsites farmers’ awareness of physicochemical properties of dumpsites soil in two agro‑ecological zones, Ghana Kwabena Kyere · Kof Agyarko · Richard Kotei · Matt Dodd · Godfred Darko · Francis Kastro Kavi · Sonny Gad Attipoe Received: 10 October 2023 / Accepted: 13 September 2024 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024 Abstract In Ghana, widespread backyard farm- ing on arable land with refuse waste is driven by the enriched physicochemical properties of dumpsite soils, supporting crop growth. However, the enhanced levels of heavy metals have raised concerns among policymakers focusing on the environmental chal- lenges posed by dumpsites soil. The purpose of the study was to assess the awareness of dumpsites farm- ers on soil physicochemical properties and dangers posed by accumulated toxic heavy metals. A total of 100 vegetable farmers were interviewed in three communities to gauge their awareness of dumpsite soil properties and potential contamination. A semi- structured questionnaire was purposively used to solicit for information from farmers. Chi-square (χ 2 ) test of homogeneity was used to ascertain if there was any uniformity among respondents in the diferent communities studied. The fndings showed that the level of education of the famers had no relationship (p = 0.21) with farmers’ educational level. Dumpsites farmers’ knowledge on soil physicochemical prop- erties had a signifcant (p = 0.02) relationship with farmers’ awareness of toxic elements in dumpsites. Farmers’ soil physicochemical knowledge further had a signifcant (p = 0.03) relationship with their awareness that, plants on dumpsites absorb toxic ele- ments. Furthermore, ailments commonly associated with heavy metals as reported by farmers included skin rashes, cough, diarrhoea, and cholera. It can be concluded that although dumpsite farmers exhibit some awareness about the physicochemical proper- ties of their soil and the risks associated with toxic heavy metals, there is still room for improvement. Despite education levels not signifcantly impacting K. Kyere (*) · F. K. Kavi · S. G. Attipoe  Faculty of Science, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana e-mail: kwabenakyere@uew.edu.gh F. K. Kavi  e-mail: fkkavi@uew.edu.gh S. G. Attipoe  e-mail: sgattipoe@uew.edu.gh K. Agyarko · R. Kotei  College of Agriculture Education, Akenten Appiah - Menkah University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Mampong, Ashanti, Ghana e-mail: agyarkokof@gmail.com R. Kotei  e-mail: rkotei@aamusted.edu.gh M. Dodd  School of Environment and Sustainability, Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada e-mail: Matt.dodd@royalroads.ca G. Darko  Department of Chemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana e-mail: gdarkosci@knust.edu.gh