Abstract
This paper provides an assessment of the relationships between climate elements, pest activities and pesticide usage in urban farms in Lagos. The connections were analyzed with the view to ascertaining the extent and how well climate elements (rainfall and temperature) are related to pest activities and pesticide usage. Available rainfall and temperature data between 1971 and 2006 were collected and collated to estimate the linear and decadal trend as well as their variability in order to detecting temporal pattern in the period covered. The service of insectology was further employed to identify common pests on the farms and their seasonal characteristics. Proxy and available data on sales of pesticide from selected pesticide vendors and farmers were used together with literature to determine the seasonal pesticide use in the urban agricultural communities in Lagos. The results suggest that both rainfall and temperature have been increasing over the period covered. Estimations revealed that rainfall increased in order of 42 mm/per year/per decade while temperature increased in order of 0.270C per year/ per decade. Maximum temperature recorded for the months of February and August were 32.6oC and 28.2oC respectively. The result further revealed that pest activities are widespread during the dry season when temperature is high. This stimulates increase pest attack on crops and increase in pesticide usage. There is thus an indication of increases pest activities and pesticide usage as the trend in the climate elements was found to be linked with pesticides sales/usage with 30,000 liters to 15,000 liters of pesticides usage estimated for the months of February and August respectively.
Highlights
The connection between climate elements and pest activities and pesticide usage is increasingly becoming a challenge to urban agricultural practices as the urban demand for food and employment continues to increase (Palikhe, 2007)
This paper provides an assessment of the relationships between climate elements, pest activities and pesticide usage in urban farms in Lagos
Despite the important role that pesticide application plays in sustaining agricultural practices and human society, less information is available on its seasonal relationship with the trend and pattern of rainfall, and temperature and pest activities within the urban agricultural practices (Mansour, 2008)
Summary
The connection between climate elements and pest activities and pesticide usage is increasingly becoming a challenge to urban agricultural practices as the urban demand for food and employment continues to increase (Palikhe, 2007). With the current observed changes in climate elements, Yet, the observed changes in these climate elements have been associated with the dynamic, growth and spread of some insects, mites, weeds, nematodes, disease-causing organisms, and vertebrates and seen as competitors that could lower the quality and yield of food with its consequential increase in pesticide usage far above maximum acceptable limit (Pimentel, 2005) These trends and patterns and their effects on pest infestation and pesticide usage have raised concern on the quality of urban farm products as various studies have revealed positive relationship between high pesticide applications, food contamination and poisoning resulting to several human health problems such as asthma, cancer, attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, nervous system disorders and weaken immune systems (Owen, et al, 2010).
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