Abstract
BackgroundAlthough Kenya has a relatively high number of registered biopesticide products, little is known about biopesticide use by smallholders. This paper documents farmers' current use and perception of chemical pesticides and biopesticides, their willingness to pay for biopesticides, and the key challenges to biopesticide uptake.ResultsA survey found that chemical pesticides are used widely by smallholders despite awareness of the risks to human health and the environment. Almost half of respondents showed awareness of biopesticides, but current use in the survey localities was low (10%). Key reasons for the low use of biopesticides by smallholders in this study are: perceptions of effectiveness, primarily speed of action and spectrum of activity, availability and affordability. Smallholders who used biopesticides cited effectiveness, recommendation by advisory services and perception of safety as key reasons for their choice. Although farmers viewed both pesticides and biopesticides as costly, they invested in the former due to their perceived effectiveness. Average willingness to pay, above current chemical pesticide expenditures per cropping season was 9.6% (US$5.7). Willingness to pay differed significantly between counties, and was higher among farmers with more education or greater awareness of the health risks associated with pesticide use.ConclusionThis study confirms the low use of biopesticide products in the survey areas, alongside high use of conventional chemical pesticides. In order to promote greater uptake of biopesticides, addressing farmers' awareness and their perceptions of effectiveness is important, as well as increasing the knowledge of those providing advice and ensuring registered products are available locally at competitive prices. © 2020 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Highlights
Agriculture is vital to Kenya's economy, with the sector accounting for 51% of the country's gross domestic product.[1]
This study focuses on commercial biopesticide products that are purchased ‘off the shelf’ and applied to a crop, rather than noncommercial biological control methods such as classical biological control (‘one-off’ introduction of an exotic natural enemy), conservation biocontrol or homemade concoctions
2.3 Household surveys For each county, at least three locations were selected for enumeration, with support from local agricultural extension agents who recommended locations they felt had more exposure to biopesticide use; it is acknowledged that the sample may not necessarily be representative of the county
Summary
Agriculture is vital to Kenya's economy, with the sector accounting for 51% of the country's gross domestic product.[1] The sector is central to food security, poverty reduction and economic growth, with the majority of the poor depending on smallholder agriculture (78% of total production) for their livelihoods.[1, 2]. Aside from drought and weather-related risks, invertebrate pests, diseases and weeds contribute to considerable pre- and post-harvest losses, resulting in reduced yields and incomes, threatening food security and poverty reduction.[2,3,4] for higher value crops, many smallholders rely heavily on the use of chemical pesticides to tackle crop pests, despite increased awareness of the potential negative impacts. Kenya has a relatively high number of registered biopesticide products, little is known about biopesticide use by smallholders. This paper documents farmers' current use and perception of chemical pesticides and biopesticides, their willingness to pay for biopesticides, and the key challenges to biopesticide uptake
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