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In a context of food insecurity accentuated by climate change, urban market gardening is emerging as an alternative. However, market gardeners’ overuse of phytosanitary products and poor agricultural practices may be endangering both their own health and that of consumers. The objective of this study is to qualitatively assess the risks of market gardeners being contaminated with unapproved phytosanitary products in the city of Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire. The data were collected by means of a socio-health survey of market gardeners and semi-structured interviews with several actors, including administrative authorities, non-governmental organizations, market gardeners, sellers of phytosanitary products, and those who apply the products. Two focus group discussions with market gardeners’ groups and one direct observation were conducted to compare the results obtained during the interviews. A geographic survey was used to locate market gardening sites and to count the number of market gardeners based on the number of plots revealed by the survey. Workshops were held to present the results to, and discuss and validate them with, stakeholders. Meetings between experts were also held to evaluate the different risk factors and the overall risk of contamination by unapproved plant protection products. Unapproved phytosanitary products constitute the identified risk. The results show that there is a high risk of market gardeners being contaminated by unapproved phytosanitary products used in the market garden site around the Korhogo drinking water dam. Of the 150 market gardeners surveyed, 81% use phytosanitary products. There are weaknesses in the verification and monitoring system for the sale of these products, which benefits contraband sellers. There is therefore a high probability that unapproved phytosanitary products are being introduced into the market gardening site. The high rate of lack of education (86%) and training among market gardeners, as well as the lack of protection when products are being applied, leads to a high probability that market gardeners are being exposed to these products. The clear possibility thus emerges that the use of phytosanitary products has sanitary and economic consequences for market gardeners.