Farmers’ knowledge, experience and management of fall armyworm in a major maize producing municipality in Ghana

Abstract

Since its discovery in Ghana, the fall armyworm (FAW) has damaged maize farms resulting in yield losses. This study investigated farmers’ knowledge, practices and impact of the pest in a major maize growing municipality in Ghana. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from 200 randomly sampled farmers on their knowledge, practices, perceived effect and management of the FAW. FAW susceptibility to insecticides was also assessed. Although insecticide application was dominant (98%) and farmers experienced adverse health effects, application frequency and the resulting effects were not significantly related (p > 0.05). Usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) was low (45.7%) and only 2% of the farmers used complete PPE. Gender correlated positively with PPE usage with more females wearing PPE compared to males. Age, farming experience, education and farm size did not significantly impact on PPE usage. The FAW outbreak negatively affected farmers’ relationships (36.5%) and caused economic loss to many farmers (80%). FAW was susceptible to emamectin benzoate (1.9% w/v) and emamectin benzoate (48 g/L) + acetamiprid (64 g/L) but not Bacillus thuringiensis (55%) + monosultap (45%) under laboratory conditions. The findings and implications of the study on farmer safety and sustainable pest management are discussed.