Socio-psychological factors influencing decision-making and implementation of IPM methods among Finnish farmers

An analysis of farmers’ intention to use green pesticides: The application of the extended theory of planned behavior and health belief model

In 2001, the United States General Accounting Office issued a report entitled “Management Improvements Needed to Further Promote Integrated Pest Management.” This report documents that overall agricultural pesticide usage increased from 1992 to 2000 while the use of the most toxic levels of pesticides have decreased. The USDA suggests that these changes in pesticide use could have been caused by integrated pest management (IPM) adoption. However, the GAO maintains that there is not enough evidence to support this claim. This paper contributes to this debate by estimating the relationship between pesticide use and IPM practices adopted for number of commodities across the nation from 1996 to 2005. The paper exploits an aggregated data set that combines surveys from different crops and different years, but it also examines specific surveys conducted on cotton and corn crops to better control for other factors that could affect pesticide use. The paper applies multiple definitions of IPM and uses different spatial variables to control for environmental effects that affect pesticide use. Although some specific strategies such as GM adoption decreased the amount of active ingredients sprayed on cotton and corn, the results suggest that on average the adoption of IPM strategies lead to slightly increased pesticide spending and pounds of active ingredient sprayed per acre. This result is confirmed in both the analysis on the aggregated data as well as the analysis of the cotton and corn data. The results also suggest that fixed environmental factors explain a significant amount of chemical spending and pesticide use in the United States. The significance of these factors demonstrates the importance of research and programs that aid farmers in making intelligent pesticide use decisions at the local level.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is recommended in both developed and developing countries as a sustainable approach to pest management in agriculture. In adoption of IPM technologies, the use of chemical pesticides is expected to reduce resulting in positive gains in human and environmental health while still maintaining agricultural productivity. The introduction and adoption of IPM among farmers in Kenya would require that extension officers be closely involved in guiding the farmers in the implementation process. Views of the extension officers regarding IPM and its underlying principles are, therefore, crucial because of their important task as educators. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of Kenyan agricultural extension officers regarding IPM. The study was conducted among extension officers and data for the study was collected from 193 extension officers in the Central and Eastern provinces of Kenya. The results showed that the extension officers were positive about the various concepts suggested in IPM. The extension officers further believed that IPM has the potential to contribute effectively in pest management by the majority of small scale farmers in Kenya. The extension officers viewed crop rotation, a cultural practice, to be of priority use in pest management. Most of the other IPM practices were considered practical in maintaining agricultural productivity. On the basis of the positive perceptions of the extension officers regarding IPM, the government of Kenya should establish a supportive policy that will enable the extension officers to promote and educate farmers on the various IPM practices. International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 7(2) 2006: 125-133

This paper reviews the role of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in sustainable crop protection in India, emphasizing its ecological, economic, and social significance. IPM strategies, which integrate biological, cultural, and mechanical pest control methods, have been shown to reduce chemical pesticide use, improve crop yields, and enhance farmer incomes. Despite these benefits, the adoption of IPM faces significant barriers, including limited farmer awareness, financial constraints, and a strong reliance on chemical pesticides. This paper examines various government initiatives, including the establishment of Central Integrated Pest Management Centres and inclusion of IPM in national policies, which have laid the groundwork for wider adoption. Data from several field demonstrations show that IPM adoption has led to 8 percent–22 percent yield improvements in key crops like rice, cotton, and vegetables, along with 40 percent–60 percent reduction in pesticide use. The economic benefits are also notable, with farmers experiencing 10 percent–15 percent reduction in cultivation costs and an increase in net incomes. However, challenges in implementation persist due to inadequate extension services, fragmented policy support, and market barriers. The paper concludes by suggesting the need for stronger policy frameworks, enhanced farmer education, and increased public-private collaboration to foster the wider adoption of IPM, ensuring sustainable agricultural practices and improved livelihoods for Indian farmers.

A study assessed the impact of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) training on pest management practices in major vegetable crops in Palpa district. A total of 138 respondents were selected through purposive random sampling from Tansen municipality and the rural municipalities of Bagnaskali and Ribdikot. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews on prevailing IPM practices, pesticide handling, and challenges in IPM adoption. The analysis, employing descriptive and inferential statistics including chi-square tests, revealed that most trained respondents were from Tansen municipality, with more females than males receiving training. Although respondents preferred botanical methods, they predominantly used chemical pesticides due to availability, lack of biopesticides, high costs of IPM, social constraints, and the absence of block farming. Agro-vet stores were the main information source on pesticides. The level of pest control influenced chemical pesticide purchases, with low awareness of pest resistance. Both trained and non-trained respondents sprayed pesticides during pest outbreaks, with few reporting symptoms from exposure. Trained respondents exhibited greater awareness of the impacts of chemical pesticides on beneficial insects and soil health, the importance of waiting periods, safe pesticide disposal, and safety precautions. Significant associations were found between IPM training and chemical pesticide use, awareness of their impacts on beneficial insects, pesticide disposal methods, waiting periods, safety precautions, and perceptions of soil impact. The study highlighted the critical role of training in enhancing pest management practices and awareness of the adverse effects of chemical pesticides, underscoring the need for increased availability of biopesticides and support for IPM adoption.

The purpose of this study is to descriptively analyze the extent of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and non-IPM practices in Kampar District, Kampar Regency. This research uses a descriptive method aimed at gathering information through questionnaires, direct observations, and interviews. The subjects of the study consisted of 38 IPM rice farmers and 62 non-IPM rice farmers. The results of the study indicate that both IPM and non-IPM farmers in Kampar District have implemented practices for cultivating healthy crops. The distinguishing factor between IPM and non-IPM farmers lies in pest and disease control. IPM farmers consistently monitor their fields as the basis for making decisions on pest and disease control measures. IPM farmers use superior and locally superior seeds, while non-IPM farmers predominantly use local seeds. IPM farmers prioritize preventive measures in pest and disease control, resorting to the application of chemical pesticides only when the infestation reaches an economic threshold. Non-IPM farmers control pests and diseases using chemical pesticides periodically without considering the level of infestation. The participation of farmers in IPM programs and farmer groups influences their adoption of healthy crop cultivation practices and IPM. Non-IPM farmers perceive pest and disease control using chemical pesticides as more practical and yielding quicker results. However, they are not aware that the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides increases production costs, poses risks to themselves and the environment. This lack of awareness contributes to the low adoption rate of IPM among farmers.

BackgroundThe HIV epidemic poses significant challenges to the low income countries in sub Saharan Africa (SSA), affecting the attrition rate among health care workers, their level of motivation, and absenteeism from work. Little is known about how to deal with deterioration of human resources in the health care systems. This study aimed to predict the intention to provide surgical treatment to HIV infected patients among medical- and dental students in Tanzania and Sudan using an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).MethodsFour hundred and seventy five medical- and dental students at the University of Dar es Salaam (mean age, 25 yr) and 642 dental students attending 6 public and private dental faculties in Khartoum (mean age 21.7 yr) completed self-administered TPB questionnaires in 2005 and 2007, respectively.ResultsBoth Tanzanian and Sudanese students demonstrated strong intentions to provide care for people with HIV and AIDS. Stepwise linear regression revealed that the TPB accounted for 51% (43% in Tanzania and Sudan) of the variance in intention across study sites. After having controlled for country and past behaviour, the TPB in terms of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control accounted for 34% and moral norms for an additional 2,3% of the explainable variance in intention. Across both study sites, attitudes were the strongest predictor of intention followed in descending order by subjective norms, moral norms and perceived behavioural control.ConclusionThe TPB is applicable to students' care delivery intentions in the context of HIV and AIDS across the two SSA countries investigated. It is suggested that attitudes, subjective norms, moral norms and perceived behavioural control are key factors in students' willingness to treat AIDS and HIV infected patients and should be targets of interventions aimed at improving the quality of health care delivery in this context.

Sweet corn is one of the most common fresh market vegetable crops grown throughout the north central and north east regions of the United States. In 2008, the Great Lakes Vegetable Working Group measured integrated pest management (IPM) practice adoption by growers of this crop using online and hardcopy surveys over a 10-mo period. The survey asked growers from nine states and Ontario, Canada, which pest management practices they used on their farm operation in the following sections: education, preplant, at-plant, in-season, postharvest, scouting, and demographics. Each individual survey question was ranked by a panel of university specialists and designated as a low, moderate, or high IPM valued activity, with points assigned accordingly. On survey completion, the total points accumulated by the grower would place them into one of three categories; low, moderate, or high IPM adopter. Of the 407 respondents, 130 were placed in the low IPM adoption category, 251 were deemed moderate IPM adopters, and 26 were placed in the high IPM category. Some key general attributes of a high IPM adopter include someone who has grown vegetables for at least 10 yr and has a farm >51 acres (67%) and raises between 21-50 acres of sweet corn (44%). Some key general attributes of a low IPM adopter include less experience on smaller acreage, with 56% having grown vegetables for fewer than 10 yr with 57% on farms smaller than five acres.

Pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola (Foërster), is the most economically harmful arthropod pest of pears in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). The phloem-feeding nymphs produce a sticky, sugar-based excrement called honeydew, which causes cosmetic fruit injury, tree stress, and inconvenience to orchard workers. Management of pear psylla has historically prioritized season-long spraying with insecticides that have substantial nontarget effects on natural enemies. However, control has been an ongoing challenge in many growing regions due to pear psylla’s resistance to insecticides, and natural enemies are virtually absent in orchards with aggressive pesticide programs near harvest, leading to rapid increases in pear psylla. Subsequently, excessive numbers of overwintering pear psylla create a regional overabundance of the pest the following spring. Integrated pest management (IPM) programs for pear psylla prevent this cycle with effective cultural tactics and insecticides that are minimally disruptive to natural enemies. Still, IPM adoption seems to be regionally variable. The major growing region of the Wenatchee Valley in Washington State has been reluctant to adopt IPM and, consequently, continues to struggle with pear psylla management. Other areas, such as Hood River, Oregon, and Okanogan, British Columbia, have made significant improvements in pear psylla management through the adoption of area-wide IPM. This review will provide an overview of pear psylla biology, pest status in the PNW, primary IPM tactics, and various elements that have either challenged or advanced the pear industry’s adoption of IPM.

Increased Integrated Pest Management (IPM) adoption hinges not only on the future of innovative research, but also on the willingness of growers to adopt new IPM technologies. Adoption and diffusion of innovations can encounter many different challenges. By better understanding the drivers of and barriers to IPM adoption, future research, extension, and education can better target behavior change. This study sought to better understand the IPM adoption drivers and barriers, along with the impacts of IPM, from the perspective of state IPM coordinators via an online Qualtrics survey. These professionals have a statewide perspective on IPM adoption. There were 37 completed surveys out of 56 email survey invitations, a 66% response rate. Overall, the participants ranked ‘high cost of practice’ as the most critical barrier to IPM adoption. ‘Difficulty of implementation’ and ‘lack of awareness’ were also highly ranked as critical barriers to adoption. When asked about ways to increase IPM adoption, participants ranked ‘improved cost-benefit analysis’ as the most critically important. Overall, these findings demonstrate the importance of providing improved IPM economic cost-benefit analyses to accompany the promotion of new and existing IPM innovations. Furthermore, even though the results of this study suggest that the impact of the Regional IPM Centers has been increasing regional IPM coordination, communication, collaboration, and cooperation. These findings also suggest a need for more comprehensive extension and education programs to specifically address the perceived ‘high cost of practice,’ ‘difficulty of implementation’, and ‘lack of awareness’ by communicating improved IPM cost-benefit analyses.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of agricultural cooperative membership on farmers’ decisions to adopt integrated pest management (IPM) technology and to estimate the impact of IPM adoption on farm economic performance.Design/methodology/approachAn endogenous switching probit model that addresses the sample selection bias issue arising from both observed and unobserved factors is used to estimate the survey data from a sample of 481 apple households in China. A treatment effects model is employed to estimate the impact of IPM adoption on apple yields, net returns and agricultural income. In order to address the potential endogeneity associated with off-farm work variable in estimating both cooperative membership choice specification and IPM adoption specifications, a control function approach is used.FindingsThe empirical results show that cooperative membership exerts a positive and significant impact on the adoption of IPM technology. In particular, farmers’ IPM adoption decision is significantly associated with household and farm-level characteristics (e.g. education, farm size and price knowledge). IPM adoption has a positive and statistically significant impact on apple yields, net returns and agricultural income.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that agricultural cooperatives can be a transmission route in the efforts to proliferate the adoption and diffusion of IPM technology, and increased IPM adoption tends to improve the economic performance of farm households.Originality/valueDespite the widespread evidence of health and environmental benefits associated with IPM technology, the adoption rate of this technology remains significantly low. This paper provides a first attempt by investigating to what extent and how agricultural cooperative membership affects IPM adoption and how IPM adoption influences farm economic performance.

Factors determining adoption of integrated pest management by vegetable growers in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand

This paper focuses on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Programs in Nong Khae and Nong Done districts in Sarabri province, Central Thailand. This program started in 2003 to introduce IPM technology to local rice farmers for the purpose of “reduction of pesticides use” and “reduction of production cost.” The investigations for the IPM technology adoption among farmers and its impacts were carried out by interviewing to 50 rice farmers in both districts. In the IPM program, Farmer Field School (FFS) played the important role to increase farmers' skills and lowering pesticide use in rice. No characteristic (age, educational background, field area etc.) differences between IPM and non-IPM farmers imply that every rice farmers can conduct IPM in reality. IPM farmers, most of them graduated from FFS, succeeded in about 57.5% reduction of pesticide use, and applied pesticide about 1.43 times in a crop season while non-IPM farmers applied about 2.6 times. This lowering pesticide uses contributed to reduction of production costs and risks of health and environment. However, the outcomes by IPM adoption will be much greater if the population of IPM farmers in the districts increases; network externality. For this, it is necessary to consider the process from the prevalence of IPM technology by FFS to the diffusion of IPM technology through FFS participants to nonparticipants. This activity should be enhanced by continuing FFS approach in the districts, identifying health and environmental impacts of IPM practices, and opening IPM rice markets.JEL Classification: R58, Q18, Q57

Socially responsible investment in Malaysia: behavioral framework in evaluating investors' decision making process

Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as Integrated Pest Control (IPC) is a broad-based approach that integrates practices for economic control of pests. Constraints mean hindrances or obstructions in the way of banana growers in adoption of integrated pest management practices. Keeping this in view, an attempt has been made to study constraints faced by banana growers of in adoption of IPM. The present study was conducted in Anand district of the Gujarat state in India. Total sample size for this research study was 100 banana growers adopting integrated pest management practices. Major constraints faced by farmers in adopting IPM were; lack of quality inputs for IPM in time, lack of training to the banana growers about IPM, high cost of chemicals and spraying equipments for IPM and un-availability of technical guidance for IPM in time. The major suggestions given by the banana growers to overcome the constraints faced by them in the adoption of IPM were; training should be given to the farmers regarding IPM practices, timely supply of quality IPM inputs and proper technical guidance for IPM.