Adoption and Factors Affecting on Adoption of Integrated Pest Management among Vegetable Farmers in Sri Lanka

Publication date: 2016 Source:Procedia Food Science, Volume 6 Author(s): H.J.C. Jayasooriya, M.M.M. Aheeyar The overuse and misuse of chemical pesticides has widely been reported in vegetable cultivation in Sri Lanka. While safer and environmental friendly pest and disease management methods such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are popular around the world, only little effort has been taken to promote IPM in Sri Lankan vegetable cultivation. Furthermore, farmers have not shown much interest on practicing IPM in vegetable cultivation. However, the level of IPM adoption by vegetable farmers and the factors influencing the adoption and strategies to promote IPM in vegetable cultivation have not been identified. Accordingly, this study was conducted to identify the level of IPM adoption and factors influencing the adoption of IPM in vegetable cultivation and to understand the strategies for promoting vegetable IPM in future. Primary data was collected by interviewing 290 farmer households. ‘Level of adoption’ and ‘farmers’ knowledge’ on nine practices used in IPM technique were tested and nine socio-economic variables were analyzed to identify the factors influencing the IPM adoption. Findings indicated that the main income source of the majority (68%) of respondents was from vegetable farming from which at least half of their household income was secured. A total of 47% farmers apply chemical pesticides before pests or diseases appear in the field as a rout...
Source: Procedia Food Science - Category: Food Science Source Type: research