Knowledge, attitude, and practice of Indonesian farmers regarding the use of personal protective equipment against pesticide exposure Maria G. C. Yuantari & Cornelis A. M. Van Gestel & Nico M. Van Straalen & Budi Widianarko & Henna R. Sunoko & Muhammad N. Shobib Received: 12 May 2014 /Accepted: 20 January 2015 # Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 Abstract The use of synthetic pesticides in tropical countries has increased over the years, following the intensification of agriculture. However, awareness among farmers of the importance of protecting them- selves from hazards associated with pesticide applica- tion is still lacking, especially in Indonesia. This paper reports results of an inventory on knowledge and attitudes regarding pesticide use by melon farmers of a village in Central Java, Indonesia. The importance of using personal protective equipment such as hats, masks, goggles, boots, and gloves on agricultural land is known and well understood by the farmers. How- ever, in practice, only 3.8 % were wearing glasses and 1.9 % were using boots. In fact, the masks used only consisted of a part of their shirt tied around the mouth. The farmers were not wearing long pants and shirts with long sleeves and used the same clothes for more than 1 day without washing. Almost no farmers used personal protective equipment that was standard, in good condition, and complete. Based on the results of statistical analysis, no significant relationship was found between knowledge and attitude on the required practices on the one hand and the use of personal protective equipment in practice on the other hand. This shows that improved knowledge and attitudes are not enough to change the behavior of farmers to work in a healthy and safe way. The gap between knowledge and practice needs to be bridged by a more interactive and participatory training model. It is there- fore of paramount importance to develop a special toolkit for pesticide risk reduction which is developed in a participatory manner involving the farmers as the main actors through a series of focus group discus- sions and field simulations. Environ Monit Assess (2015) 187:142 DOI 10.1007/s10661-015-4371-3 M. G. C. Yuantari : B. Widianarko : H. R. Sunoko Environmental Science Doctoral Program, Diponegoro University, Imam Bardjo, Semarang, Indonesia B. Widianarko e-mail: widianarko@unika.ac.id H. R. Sunoko e-mail: hennarsunoko@gmail.com C. A. M. Van Gestel : N. M. Van Straalen Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HVAmsterdam, Netherlands C. A. M. Van Gestel e-mail: kees.van.gestel@vu.nl N. M. Van Straalen e-mail: n.m.van.straalen@vu.nl B. Widianarko Graduate Program on Environment and Urban Studies, Soegijapranata Catholic University, Pawiyatan Luhur IV/1, Semarang, Indonesia M. G. C. Yuantari (*) : M. N. Shobib Faculty of Public Health, Dian Nuswantoro University, Nakula I/5, Semarang, Indonesia e-mail: mgcatur.yuantari@dsn.dinus.ac.id M. N. Shobib e-mail: sobebajah@gmail.com