Affect Food Production Research Articles

A proposal to rethink agriculture in the climate calculations

AbstractAccording to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), agriculture is a main source of negative greenhouse gases. The calculations are based on empirical facts but also, like all research, on certain perspectives or paradigms including assumptions and subjective choices of system boundaries for analysis. Greenhouse gases in relation to agriculture are often presented in diagrams showing, for example, arrows of emissions from soil, cattle, tractors, and manure storage. However, the fundament of agriculture is the photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is caught by crops that, in turn, produce oxygen (O2) and at the same time binds carbon (C) in roots and shoots. One part of this C transforms into soil organic C, and that is sometimes discussed in research, the public debate, and by IPCC. But the main part transforms into harvested crops, that is, cereals like wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and other carbohydrate products like pea (Pisum sativum L.) or oilseed. This last‐mentioned photosynthesis effect is not, in the IPCC calculations, considered as a positive climate contribution from the agricultural sector. The consequence of this might be that policymakers will not understand the whole picture of agriculture in relation to climate effects; and therefore make decisions that affect food production, climate change, and biodiversity in a not optimal way from a holistic sustainability viewpoint.

Co-benefits and Trade-Offs From Agro-Food System Redesign for Circularity: A Case Study With the FAN Agent-Based Model

Realizing more sustainable food, feed, and bioenergy systems will require interventions such as increased recycling of nutrients and coordination of biomass flows among farms. Innovative tools to explore the co-benefits and trade-offs of improving flow circularity in agro-food systems at different scales are needed to better understand the efficacy of these sustainability solutions. Here, we applied the FAN (Flows in Agro-food Networks) agent-based model to simulate contrasting scenarios of material flows locally in a small farming region of France. These scenarios aim to enhance: (1) best management practices at the farm scale; (2) organic material recycling and biogas production collectively across the agricultural landscape; and (3) system redesign toward complete local circularity through crop and livestock symbiosis, fewer livestock, and elimination of external inputs. Scenario simulation outcomes are assessed in terms of their degree of circularity and food production. We find that best management practices at the farm scale and collective solutions for recycling (organic fertilization and anaerobic digestion) substantially improved the degree of circularity by tightening the local nitrogen (N) cycle without affecting food production. Among other co-benefits, changes in farm rotations to feed livestock locally increased the degree of circularity without appreciably impacting food production. The maximum circularity scenario showed considerable potential to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, however, they involved large trade-offs with food production that were even more pronounced with fewer livestock animals. Although regulating livestock numbers combined with eliminating chemical fertilizers was the most effective at mitigating GHG emissions, when applied simultaneously it substantially impacted food and bioenergy production. Such trade-offs for soil fertility demonstrate the importance of coupling crops and livestock for reaching self-sufficient circular systems. Our study illustrates how the FAN agent-based model can be applied to account for multiple types of interactions involved in transitions toward circularity in local agro-food systems, including the potential for co-benefits, and unintended consequences of interventions.

Emerging Global Health Crisis of our times- Climate change

The progress of the human race over the last 200 years is unprecedented in recent history. Rapid industrialization, urbanization, and consumerism have made lives easier for humankind. Still, these changes come at a very high price. We never anticipated that we will have to pay the price in the form of climate change and global warming. Our planet, the earth is getting warmer by 0.85 ?centigrde annually for the last one hundred and seventy years. Hence, glaciers are melting faster than ever, water levels are rising, and cities are sinking, while greenhouse gas emission numbers are at their highest points in human history. Unfortunately we humans are living in anthropogenic epoch and are also speeding up the destruction of the earth’s ecosystem by being the dominant cause of the warming observed since the 20th century. Deforestation coupled with increased greenhouse gas emissions has led to a surge of heat-waves globally. These environmental disasters not only affect the environment, plants, and land but also have a profound direct and indirect impact on the health of people. In-fact the health impact has already debuted in the form of worsening key health indicators. In Pakistan alone, the 2015 heat-wave claimed the lives of twelve hundred people in Sindh province. Due to variable rainfall patterns that affect the availability of fresh water, it also affects food production & delivery and brings on the drought. Quality of air, clean drinking water, and availability of food are the top three indicators most influenced by these disasters. Coupled with these, the more than the frequent occurrence of natural calamities; tsunamis, wildfires, snowstorms, and extremes of temperatures has put an extra financial burden on already, stretched to limits budgets of health.

The Roles of Urban Agriculture for Climate Change Adaption in The Case of Debre Markos Town and Surrounding Districts East Gojjam Zone Amhara Region Ethiopia

Rapid urbanization and large scale food production both heavily dependent on fossil fuels are arguably the most significant contributors to climate change. They are also increasingly recognized as potential tools in mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Climate change has already affected food production systems leaving loss of crop, grain shortages, and increased commodity price in its wake, all of which undermine food security a fundamental human right. This study establishes that Urban Agriculture is a multipronged tool for adaptation and mitigation to tackle climate change, and is the effective tool to address food security challenges in the cities, educate and reconnect urban and peri urban farms and people to assure food and climate security in the cities. Keywords: Climate change; mitigation; adaptation; urban; peri urban. DOI : 10.7176/JEES/10-1-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2020

Temperature-Mediated Competition Between the Invasive Larger Grain Borer (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and the Cosmopolitan Maize Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Interspecific competition between agricultural pests may affect the species that can establish, and may also affect food production. Prostephanus truncatus (Horn), the larger grain borer, is endemic to Central America, but invaded Africa with disastrous consequences for maize production. Its main competitor is Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, the maize weevil, which is cosmopolitan. These insects co-occur in many regions of the world and both are threats to maize. However, the impact of competition between these two species is not well-understood, nor is its effect on grain quality or potential to limit P. truncatus invasion in new areas. The aims of our study were to evaluate the outcome of interspecific competition between P. truncatus and S. zeamais at four different temperatures on a fixed quantity of grain, and determine effects on progeny production, grain damage, and mold growth. We found that coexistence may be possible at a range of 25-30°C, but mixed colonies experienced a direct competitive cost compared to single-species colonies. Prostephanus truncatus performed better at warmer temperatures, while S. zeamais favored cooler temperatures. The majority of grain damage was the result of P. truncatus activity as opposed to S. zeamais. Finally, mold growth was greater where both species were present, and species of mold that produce aflatoxin were identified. Although there are an increasing number of areas where both of these species occur, our results suggest P. truncatus will be capable of destroying much more maize in a shorter period compared to S. zeamais at temperatures greater than 25°C.

Long-term (1870–2018) drought reconstruction in context of surface water security in India

Droughts in India affect food production, gross domestic product (GDP), livelihood, and socio-economic condition of a large population associated with agriculture. Recent drought (2015–2018) caused groundwater depletion and affected about one-fourth of the Indian population. However, it remains unclear if the drought of 2015–2018 was among the most severe droughts that occurred in India. Here we use a long-term (1870–2018) data to identify the top five (“deadly”) meteorological/hydrological droughts based on overall severity score in the last century and half period. Out of a total of 18 meteorological droughts, the deadly droughts occurred in 1899, 1876, 2000, 1918, and 1965. Similarly, the deadly hydrological droughts occurred in 1899, 2000, 1876, 1965, and 1918 during 1870–2018. All the five deadly droughts were associated with the positive phase of El Nino Southern Oscillations (ENSO). Results show that the relationship between ENSO and monsoon (June to September) precipitation in India has weakened while the role of Indian and Atlantic Oceans have strengthened during the recent decades. Notwithstanding the longest (41 months) duration, the 2015–2018 drought did not feature among the deadly droughts. The 2015–2018 drought affected surface (reservoir storage) and groundwater availability in both southern and northern parts of India and was linked to El-Nino and Indian Ocean Dipole. Droughts and rapidly declining groundwater together can pose serious challenges to water security in India.

Preliminary farm-level estimation of 20-year impact of introduction of energy crops in conventional farms in the UK

There is a renewed interest in large-scale production of non-food energy crops in the UK to enable it to meet its renewable energy targets. There are strong indications that with increasing demand for biomass feedstocks, energy crops will be grown in arable farms alongside food crops. This raises environmental, socio-political and economic concerns on the energy-food-environment balance. It also raises a fundamental question on where and how much bioenergy crop could be cultivated in farms without adversely affecting food production and ecosystem services. Therefore, this research sets out to firstly ascertain whether the introduction of bioenergy crops in conventional farms could have beneficial or adverse effects on food production and the environment, and secondly, to explore various strategies through which bioenergy crops could be integrated in farms. Spatially explicit datasets and models were used to investigate the interaction of energy and food crops at the farm level, and associated effects over a 20-year period. Using appropriate biophysical and biomass indicators the impacts of were assessed. This study found that careful integration of Miscanthus in farms is beneficial as it reduces sediment and nutrient loss, and increases biomass yield, without adversely affecting food production. This research is significant as it demonstrates the potential of largescale production of bioenergy crops from fragmented sources. It also presented effective strategies through which bioenergy crops can co-exist with food crops, without leading to the food-energy-environment trilemma.

Exploring future scenarios of ethanol demand in Brazil and their land-use implications

Ethanol biofuel demand in Brazil is highly dependent on macroeconomic and policy drivers, making it difficult to anticipate future production and associated environmental implications. Here we develop scenarios of ethanol demand in Brazil towards 2030, based on a thorough examination of key influencing drivers, i.e. GDP and population growth, fleet composition, blending policies, fuel prices and energy efficiency. We then estimate their land-use implications using a detailed partial equilibrium model, GLOBIOM-Brazil. We find that ethanol demand is highly sensitive to the drivers considered and could increase between 37.4 and 70.7 billion litres in 2030 depending on the scenario. Such increase is 13% and 114% above the 2018 production. This represents an expansion in sugarcane area between 1.2 and 5 million hectares (14%–58% above the land-use in 2018). Compared to the low demand scenario, a high demand for ethanol in 2030 would drive sugarcane expansion mostly into pastureland (72%) and natural vegetation mosaics (19%). Our results suggest that future ethanol demand in Brazil should not substantially affect food production nor native forest. This outcome will however depend on the compliance with the sugarcane agro-ecological zoning (AEZ) by the ethanol sector in Brazil, a key assumption of our projections.

Impacts of Land-Use Changes on Soil Erosion in Water–Wind Crisscross Erosion Region of China

Soil erosion affects food production, biodiversity, biogeochemical cycles, hydrology, and climate. Land-use changes accelerated by intensive human activities are a dominant anthropogenic factor inducing soil erosion globally. However, the impacts of land-use-type changes on soil erosion dynamics over a continuous period for constructing a sustainable ecological environment has not been systematically quantified. This study investigates the spatial–temporal dynamics of land-use change and soil erosion across a specific area in China with water–wind crisscross erosion during three periods: 1995–1999, 2000–2005, and 2005–2010. We analyzed the impacts of each land-use-type conversion on the intensity changes of soil erosion caused by water and wind, respectively. The major findings include: (1) land-use change in the water–wind crisscross erosion region of China was characterized as cultivated land expansion at the main cost of grassland during 1995–2010; (2) the strongest land-use change moved westward in space from the central Loess Plateau area in 1995–2005 to the western piedmont alluvial area in 2005–2010; (3) soil erosion area is continuously increasing, but the trend is declining from the late 1990s to the late 2000s; (4) the soil conservation capability of land-use types in water–wind crisscross erosion regions could be compiled from high to low as high coverage grasslands, medium coverage grasslands, paddy, drylands, low coverage grasslands, built-up lands, unused land of sandy lands, the Gobi Desert, and bare soil. These findings could provide some insights for executing reasonable land-use approaches to balance human demands and environment sustainability.

Deeper well drilling an unsustainable stopgap to groundwater depletion

Groundwater depletion is causing wells to run dry, affecting food production and domestic water access. Drilling deeper wells may stave off the drying up of wells—for those who can afford it and where hydrogeologic conditions permit it—yet the frequency of deeper drilling is unknown. Here, we compile 11.8 million groundwater-well locations, depths and purposes across the United States. We show that typical wells are being constructed deeper 1.4 to 9.2 times more often than they are being constructed shallower. Well deepening is not ubiquitous in all areas where groundwater levels are declining, implying that shallow wells are vulnerable to running dry should groundwater depletion continue. We conclude that widespread deeper well drilling represents an unsustainable stopgap to groundwater depletion that is limited by socioeconomic conditions, hydrogeology and groundwater quality. Groundwater wells in the United States are under more stress than ever before due to drought conditions and rising demand, but the extensive nature of deeper drilling has been unreported. This analysis compiles nearly 12 million groundwater wells across the United States to determine water vulnerability and sustainability.

Enhancing growth and yield of crops with nutrient-enriched organic fertilizer at wet and dry seasons in ensuring climate-smart agriculture

PurposeRapid nutrient depletion in soils is one of the major problems that affect food production and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Studies have linked the growth of food crops with seasonal variation and differences in weather conditions. This study was conducted to assess the effects of various organic fertilizer formulations (OFFs) on the growth and yield of selected crops (Zea mays L.; Glycine max, TX 114 and Dioscorea rotundata Poir) during rainy and dry seasons to ensuring climate-smart agriculture.MethodsThe OFFs used were plant-based (PB), animal-based (AB), rock-based (RB), organic mixture (OM-mixture of PB, AB and RB), synthetic/chemical (SC) while ordinary compost without fortification served as control. Effects of OFFs on growth parameters (number of leaves, plant height, stem girth, leaf area, and crop yield) of maize, yam and soybeans were assessed in plot experiments across the two seasons.ResultsThe RB gave highest growth performances in maize and soybean plots at both seasons when applied at 2.5 t ha−1. It also improved yam growth when applied at 2.5 t ha−1 (rainy season) and 3.0 t ha−1 (dry season) more than any other fertilizer. The largest yield of maize in the dry season was obtained from plots with PB at 2.0 t ha−1. The AB at 2.0 t ha−1 gave the largest soybean yield in the rainy season.ConclusionsOrganic fertilizers enriched especially with rock-based and plant-based materials have the potential to ameliorate the threat of climate change and seasonal variation to food security.

Emerging human infectious diseases and the links to global food production.

Infectious diseases are emerging globally at an unprecedented rate while global food demand is projected to increase sharply by 2100. Here, we synthesize the pathways by which projected agricultural expansion and intensification will influence human infectious diseases and how human infectious diseases might likewise affect food production and distribution. Feeding 11 billion people will require substantial increases in crop and animal production that will expand agricultural use of antibiotics, water, pesticides and fertilizer, and contact rates between humans and both wild and domestic animals, all with consequences for the emergence and spread of infectious agents. Indeed, our synthesis of the literature suggests that, since 1940, agricultural drivers were associated with >25% of all — and >50% of zoonotic — infectious diseases that emerged in humans, proportions that will likely increase as agriculture expands and intensifies. We identify agricultural and disease management and policy actions, and additional research, needed to address the public health challenge posed by feeding 11 billion people.

Gas exchanges of melon under water stress in the Submedium region of the São Francisco River Valley

The current scenario of increased water scarcity is due to climate change and directly affects food production. It is thus necessary to develop strategies to mitigate the impacts of low water availability. Therefore, the goal of the present study is to evaluate the physiological behaviour of melon cultivars under water stress. The experiment was conducted in a protected environment in the experimental Submedium region of the São Francisco River Valley in the period ranging from October to December. In this study, we used the melon cultivars 'Amarelo' and 'Piel de Sapo'. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replicates that were subdivided into plots, where the plots were comprised of four irrigation rates (50, 75, 100, and 125% of crop evapotranspiration – CET), subplots were comprised of the two melon cultivars, and sub-subplots were comprised of samplings for physiological analyses (15, 30, and 45 days after transplanting). The parameters evaluated were stomatal conductance, transpiration, net photosynthesis, relationship CI/CA, and accumulated dry matter. Water stress reduced the stomatal conductance, transpiration, net photosynthesis, CI/CA, and accumulated dry matter. 'Piel de Sapo' showed a higher photosynthetic adjustment than 'Amarelo' melon due to the gas exchange behaviour of the former, and it was, therefore, more tolerant to water stress.

Optimization of agricultural water–food–energy nexus in a random environment: an integrated modelling approach

Demands for water, food, and energy are rising owing to increasing population and growing economy. Agriculture is the main source of food and is the largest consumer of water and has therefore the greatest impact on water security. It also greatly affects energy security and is also the main source of non-point source pollution. Changes in the availability of water, energy, and land are driven by uncertainties in nature and strongly affect food production, with severe implications for the security of water–food–energy nexus (WFEN). Thus, a coordinated and effective management of WFEN in the agricultural sector is needed. This paper therefore proposes an integrated modelling approach for the optimization of agricultural WFEN in a random environment. The approach quantifies the interactions and feedbacks within agricultural water, food and energy subsystems, making tradeoffs between agricultural benefit and environmental impacts, which will serve as sustainability indicators for agricultural systems, including crop farming and livestock farming. The incorporation of stochastic mathematical programming in the modeling framework aids in understanding how strategies and comprehensive benefits change under different scenarios. The approach was applied in a real-world case study in an irrigation district in northeast China. The development and implementation of such an integrated approach are anticipated to be applied in other agriculture-centered regions to guide policies of sustainable water, food, energy and land resources management.

Dynamics of Women's Land Rights, Agrarian Change and Gender Transformation in Zimbabwe's Fast Track Land Reform Programme

Women’s land rights feature prominently in contemporary policy debates on agrarian change and gender transformation in Africa, although often accompanied by a certain weary skepticism about what this prominence signifies. On the one hand, policy-makers invoke women as an important category for attention, while on the other hand, analysts and activists regularly denounce the gap between high-level policy commitments and implementation. The basis of this paper is to establish the dynamics of women's land rights, agrarian change and gender transformation in Zimbabwe's fast track land reform programme. Using a qualitative method of inquiry based on interviews, focus group discussions and observations with study participants in Bubi district, an empirical material is constructed and interpreted. Using constructivist grounded theory, dynamics of women’s social goals and strategies in production and reproduction are identified, mapped out and analysed. Drawing on gender theory and new institutional theory, which recognise power and discursive signs of institutional change in rules, norms and values, it uncovers layers of social complexity in the dynamics of female and male land rights as well as between male land rights and female labour in the gender regime. In so doing, it shows how power relations emerging from unequal land and labour rights are enacted in cooperation, competition and conflict, between spouses and between co-wives. The findings show how land, besides being a natural resource for food production, is an important social, cultural and intergenerational symbol in Bubi district. This has implications for women and for their position and room of manoeuvre in food production. It also shows how the gender regime is subject to incremental institutional change through gendered agency, mainly from within the regime but accelerated by land scarcity as an external process. To conclude, the gender regime of land and labour rights has implications for how gender is enacted in everyday strategies, constructed in terms of female and male identities and configured in terms of masculinity and femininity. In the end, it is argued, these conditions affect food production and, in its extension, also food security and gender transformation. This study recommends on the importance of disaggregating women and designing policies that recognise class and other differences among them, and cater for women’s interests in land.

Impact of Climate Change on Food Systems: A Narrative Review

In recent years it has become clear that climate change is an inevitable process in many parts of the world and has a negative impact on agriculture and food systems particularly in Sub-Saharan African countries. Climate change involves variations in temperature and precipitation across the globe. The environmental changes associated with climate change have a significant impact on the food supply chains food environments and food systems in general. These changes affect food production, storage, processing, marketing, availability, promotion, affordability and quality along the food value chain. Consequently, climate change affects global food security and peoples’ income especially, in developing countries where the predominance of rain-fed agriculture in much of these countries results in food systems that are highly sensitive to rainfall and temperature variability. The narrative review aimed at evaluation of published literature to understand the impact of climate change on food systems across the globe. Literature search from 2000-2019 was carried out using key words and key phrases in Google search Engine. Elsevier agriculture journals, JSTOR journals, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Nature and Climate Change journals. More than 120 relevant publications were retrieved of which 44 were scrutinized and used for this publication. The study found that increased rainfall and temperature affect food availability, utilization, crop yields, food markets, food prices, consumption patterns and food insurance. The review recommended that all stakeholders should adopt relevant policies about climate change mitigation and adaptation options along different food value chains. This will enable farmers to produce sufficient food required to feed the projected 9.8 billion people by 2050 thus contributing to sustainable development goal number two: -End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

Building Resilient Ecosystem and Diversifying Livelihood to Enhance Food Security in Chiro Woreda, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, famine is not strange. For the past forty years or so, the country has experienced recurring drought that has wiped out crops across the country. Agricultural activities, which hold the lion share of the economy, takes place in often highly degraded and vulnerable environments where there is substantial loss of vegetation, associated erosion and declining soil fertility. Moreover, huge demand for natural capital including biomass fuels exacerbates environmental degradation and affects food production. Unless inclusive response to the ongoing problem is initiated, there are concerns that the progresses that have been made in protecting the livelihoods of the poorest people in rural areas will be undermine the country’s gains in poverty reduction. To this end, the project “Integrate Landscape Management to Enhance Food Security in Ethiopia” was initiated by UNDP. It is five years project implemented by federal ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change in six regions and specifically in two woredas of each region. Chiro woreda is one of the areas selected as project sites from Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. From the total kebeles found in woreda five were selected for the project. All relevant woreda and kebeles stockholder were participated to indentify local community problems and decide the specific interventions to enhance the objective of the project. Accordingly, the survey result has identified the potentials of the woreda to enhance food security and environmental benefits.

Governing climate change for sustainable food production: A case study of emerging markets

This article addresses three research questions: How does climate change impact food production? What are the governance challenges associated with managing such impacts? What are the conditions for future success in managing the impacts of climate change on food production? To answer these questions, the researcher undertook a document review and analysis to address these various aspects with a major focus on East Africa. The study finds that climate change affects food production largely through its physical impacts on precipitation and increased the frequency of extreme weather events. Within a context of weak governance; climate change further challenges governance institutional structures and mechanisms. The study concludes that specific aspects of the prevailing climate change governance regime require major reforms (particularly the role of the state, corporations and civil society) while other climate governance mechanisms need to be completely overhauled (for example through establishment of a new World Environment Organization).

Urban Gardens as a Space to Engender Biophilia: Evidence and Ways Forward

Cities are losing green space, driving an extinction of nature experiences for urban communities. Incremental green space loss can trigger a ratcheting-down effect where individuals’ expectations of nature continually decrease through time. This loss of everyday nature experiences may produce a citizenry with reduced knowledge and appreciation of biodiversity and the environment. In this review, Wwe examine how urban gardens, as urban spaces that bring people into close contact with nature in an otherwise built environment, can combat this ratcheting-down effect by encouraging interactions and knowledge of nature. Although the primary purpose of urban gardening may be food production, they also represent areas of social and recreational value as well as environmental education and knowledge sharingWe review three ways urban gardens may engender greater: 1) the provision of natural elements to expose urban dwellers to the diversity of plants, animals, soils that they would otherwise not encounter in their daily life; 2) fostering a greater understanding of natural processes that affect food production (e.g. climate processes, pest control, pollination) and thus the natural world; and 3) the provision of a safe space in which humans can corporeally interact with nature elements to develop greater fascination with nature. Urban gardeners, by interacting with soil, plants, and animals in these spaces, come into direct contact with a range of environmental elements. The practice of growing food and plants means that gardeners learn about environmental processes, such as pollination or changes in precipitation, and how they affect plant growth. Thus, urban gardens can engender biophilia for their participants by increasing exposure, positive interactions, and knowledge of nature, potentially changing people’s attitudes to nature. We present examples fromof a variety of urban gardens to show how these spaces can be designed using biophilic thinking to enhance people’s everyday nature experiences and their drive to interact with the natural world.

English

Pest invasion is one of the limiting factors affecting food production. Tomato leaf miner (Tuta absoluta) (Meyrick 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is an invasive insect pest of tomato. However, In Kenya, there is limited information on the level of invasion of the pest in tomato producing areas in the country. We assessed the level of invasion of T. absoluta and farmer management practices in Kirinyaga County. Tomato farmers were interviewed using questionnaires aimed at identifying the management practices used by farmers to control T. absoluta and their awareness on the insect pest. Two hundred and eight tomato farmers were interviewed, 90% of the respondents rated T. absoluta as a major pest of tomato. Results show that 94% of the respondents use synthetic chemicals in the control of T. absoluta with an average frequency of 12 times per growing season of three months with the highest frequency being 16 times. Increased use of synthetic insecticides was associated with a negative impact on the natural enemies. Among the interviewed farmers, 52 and 46% of respondents stated that after chemical spraying natural enemies disappear and are killed respectively, while 2% did not know what happened to them. It is therefore imperative to design an integrated pest management program that integrates biological control and environmentally friendly chemicals for sustainable control of T. absoluta populations.   Key words: Synthetic insecticides, management practices, natural enemies, abundance, severity.