Abstract
Farmer knowledge of insect pests’ risks in a changing climate is important in managing insect pests’ incidence. A total of 250 vegetable farmers from 5 wards in Zimbabwe were sampled using a semi-structured questionnaire to assess their knowledge on climate change risk, its impact on vegetable insects pests and management strategies to reduce the increased incidence of insect pests. Focus group discussions, key informant interviews and field observations were also used. Droughts and elevated temperatures were perceived to have the greatest impact on vegetable insect pests resulting in their increased incidence. Aphids, cutworms and whiteflies were identified among the major pests that have increased. The majority (53%) of the farmers cited high vegetable losses from insect pests attack. All the respondents (100%) revealed the use of chemical insecticides during production of vegetables. A higher proportion (60%) perceived effective control, 34% perceived reduced efficacy and 6% were not sure of effectiveness of chemical insecticides. Management strategies to cope with the increasing insect pests and diseases on vegetable production also included planting insect resistant cultivars, certified seeds, increased frequency of application of synthetic insecticides, insecticide mixtures, use of more hazardous chemical insecticides and increasing the rates of application resulting in insecticide overuse. There is need for government to facilitate development and adoption of Integrated Insect Pest Management (IIPM) and raise awareness on avoiding overdependence on chemical insecticides. Modelling tools that support adaptation planning needs to be developed to forecast climate change risk and the resultant incidence of insect pests.
Highlights
Climate change and variability has caused devastating effects in both developing and developed countries of the world (IPCC, 2014)
This study focused on the concepts of knowledge and practices, which have been previously used in some studies in developing countries (Adam et al, 2015; Khan et al, 2015)
The survey results revealed that across all the agro ecological regions, there was were no significant differences on the challenges that are encountered by farmers in vegetable production
Summary
Climate change and variability has caused devastating effects in both developing and developed countries of the world (IPCC, 2014). Zimbabwe is one of the countries in the sub Saharan region that is prone to the adverse effects of climate change, with predicted increases in mean temperatures, rainfall variability, and an expected increase in extreme weather events such as droughts and flash floods (Rurinda et al, 2014). In Zimbabwe, smallholder farmers are vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate because of multiple factors, such as soil degradation (Rufino et al, 2013) extreme poverty and deterioration of societal ‘safety nets’ (Antwi-Agyei et al, 2012; Mapfumo et al, 2013). A dwindling natural resource base (Mapfumo et al, 2013; Rufino et al, 2013) and over dependence on rain fed agriculture increase the vulnerability of smallholder farmers (IFAD, 2010)
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