Statistics show that the sales of pesticides in Sweden are increasing. This study examines why this increase occurs, and who is buying the pesticides. The study has two aims: the first is to investigate the availability of pesticides for household use, and the second is to identify the problems garden owners are experiencing in the garden and the strategies they use to solve them. As a background to my work, some of the most debated pesticides and industrial chemicals with an impact on gardening during the 20th century are briefly summarized. The background section also includes a brief account of gardening in Sweden today. In my study, five garden stores were inventoried and staff were interviewed, garden owners were interviewed at allotment compounds and in home gardens, and an online survey was posted on a garden forum. The results indicate a wide variation in the range of pesticides in garden stores. The bigger stores have more varieties while the smaller stores have chosen to reduce the supply of pesticides. Interviews with the staff indicate that customers have little knowledge of pesticides and gardening in general. Many customers are looking for quick and easy solutions to their problems, the lawn being a big concern for many. Allotment owners use very little pesticides, while home gardeners and the respondents of the online survey use pesticides to a greater extent, but home gardeners often consider pesticides dangerous and want to decrease their use.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hig-18567 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Dahlbäck, Anna |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för elektronik, matematik och naturvetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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