Farmers' knowledge, attitude and practices in integrated apple production in Central Poland
2006
Dabrowski, Z.T.,Warsaw Agricultural University (Poland). Dept. of Applied Entomology | Majewski, M.,Office of Training and Advice Services, Warka (Poland)
The country wide programme on integrated fruit production (IFP) - apples was initiated in 1990 by releasing technical recommendations by the staff of Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture in Poland. After the initial expansion among orchard owners, the concept of IFP met some constraints. Only 14-16 percent of table apples were produced annually in the years 2000-2004 according to IFP principles. Two regions in central Poland were selected for studies on the suitability of pro-ecological technical recommendations for farmers' implementation, evaluation of the quality of training, access to professional extention service, attitude and expections of farmers to producers' group organization and economics of IFP. Standard surveys on: knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP surveys) were carried out in 2002 and 2003 among randomly selected orchard owners in Grojec district as the leading and specialized region in modern fruit production in Poland and Warka district with traditionally managed orchards switching to modern technology, both located in central Poland. A number of limitations in the training of farmers as well their knowledge and the attitude to IFP were identified with farmers' suggestions for improvement. The lack of involvement among various groups of shareholders and co-ordination of activities at three levels: i.e. at upstream level (governmental), at farmers' field level and at dawnstream or consumers' level were identified as the major factor hampering wide implementation of IFP in Poland. The survey results should be presently consider as the base line for future evaluation of the progress made by widely implemented national programme on integrated agriculture and horticulture production initiated by the recent Goverment initiatives
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