Selecting Appropriate Weed Control Systems for Developing Countries

Abstract

Herbicides can increase agricultural productivity and rural welfare where agronomic considerations or labor shortages favor their utilization, but ecological, social, and economic conditions in developing countries often favor alternative weed control methods. Traditional hoeing by peasant farmers in a Northeast Brazil upland region was found to be both effective and economical in comparison with other methods. In another Northeast Brazil region, government herbicide subsidies and payroll taxes were projected to encourage excessive use of herbicides at the expense of displaced workers with few alternative employment opportunities.