Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Tomato Leaf Miner, <i>Tuta absoluta</i> on Tomato and Potential Demand for Integrated Pest Management among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya and Uganda
2021
Fridah Chepchirchir | Beatrice W. Muriithi | Jackson Langat | Samira A. Mohamed | Shepard Ndlela | Fathiya M. Khamis
Agricultural growth and food security are a priority in many developing countries. This has led to increased attention to effective pest management. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy is a sustainable and recommended alternative to the use of synthetic pesticides in the management of tomato pests, with <i>Tuta absoluta</i> being the major one. This study seeks to assess the awareness, attitude, and control practices on <i>T. absoluta</i> and examine the potential adoption of a proposed IPM strategy for the management of a pest using a randomly selected sample of 316 and 345 tomato growing households in Kenya and Uganda, respectively. The study findings indicate that <i>T. absoluta</i> is the major pest affecting tomato production, with most farmers using synthetic pesticides to manage it. Furthermore, we find a significant proportion of the survey respondents willing to adopt the IPM strategy. The probability of adopting the strategy was positively related to a farmer being male, residing near a source of inputs, accessing training, and possessing good knowledge, attitude, and practices towards the use of non-pesticides strategies. Thus, training, promotion, and awareness creation of the <i>T. absoluta</i> IPM are recommended for the sustainable management of the pest in tomato production.
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