IPM Farmer Research Articles

Aspects of cotton and vegetable farmers' pest management decision-making in India and Kenya

Improvement of farmers' decision-making has been recognised as critical for the implementation of IPM, yet practitioners lack sound knowledge on the 'how and why' of farmers' decision-making processes. This study explored the perceptions, pest management practice, decision tools and sources of information of smallholder farmers growing cotton in India and vegetables in Kenya. Farmers trained under an Insecticide Resistance Management and two IPM Farmer Field School projects were compared with untrained farmers from the same localities, using individual interviews and participatory group analysis methods. Trained farmers' decision-making was enhanced, by the use of more decision tools and new sources of information and technologies and they were generally more confident in their pest management strategies than untrained farmers. As a result, trained farmers reduced their pest management costs but did not always obtain higher gross margins. Issues of gender, sustainability, economics and group action are discussed, along with recommendations for research and extension to take a closer look at farmers' decision-making processes in cash and subsistence crops.

Farmers' Self-surveillance of Pesticide Poisoning: A 12-month Pilot in Northern Vietnam

This pilot program was designed to: 1) determine whether farmers could use a simple self-reporting system to estimate the incidence of occupationally related, self-limited pesticide poisonings; 2) describe the frequencies and types of pesticide products used in spraying operations; and 3) assess whether self-reporting and feedback would influence spraying behaviors. For 12 months, 50 farmers in northern Vietnam recorded after every spraying session any adverse health effect and the pesticide used. Data were also gathered from 50 controls. Of the 1,798 recorded spray operations, 8% were asymptomatic, 61% associated with vague ill-defined effects, and 31% accompanied by a least one clear or symptom of poisoning. After six months, the self-reporting farmers' spraying frequency and use of highly hazardous products (Ia/Ib) had declined more significantly than in the controls, as had their moderate adverse health effects. This low-cost surveillance method influenced the behaviors of farmers given access to IPM farmer field schools. The study also demonstrated the value of farmers as informants.

Pesticide use in rice and rice–fish farms in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Pest management practices among rice and rice–fish farmers and their perception of problems related to pests and pesticides were surveyed in the Mekong Delta. A total number of 64 different pesticides were identified during the survey. Approximately 50% were insecticides, 25% were fungicides and 25% were herbicides. The main insecticides used were pyrethroids (42%) carbamates (23%) and cartap (19%). Non-IPM farmers used twice as many pesticides as IPM farmers. Their application frequency and the amount of active ingredient used were 2–3 times higher per crop, as compared to IPM farmers. During the last three years IPM farmers estimated that they had decreased the amount of pesticides used by approximately 65%, while non-IPM farmers said that they had increased the amount of pesticide used by 40% . Also, farmers growing fish in their rice fields used less pesticide than farmers growing only rice, as pesticides adversely affect cultures of fish. Taking a long-term perspective integrated rice–fish farming with IPM practices provides a sustainable alternative to intensive rice mono-cropping, both from an economic as well as an ecological point of view.

Integrated Pest Management Training and Sustainable Farming Practices of Vegetable Growers in Indonesia

ABSTRACT The National Integrated Pest Management Training Program in Indonesia has provided opportunities for vegetable farmers to learn about farming practices that reduce reliance on chemical pesticides while maintaining high yield potential. This study compares samples of trained and untrained cabbage and potato farmers with the objective of comparing adoption levels of sustainable practices. A Farmer Sustainability Index was computed for each farmer surveyed to judge the relative sustainability of farm operations. Results indicate that farmers with IPM training follow more sustainable practices than their untrained counterparts. A regression model was constructed to explain the index values. The model revealed that IPM training and farmer knowledge of the ecology of his farm are positive factors that significantly affect the index value.