Participatory evaluation of mechanical weeders in lowland rice production systems in Benin

Gongotchame, Sylvestre; Dieng, Ibnou; Ahouanton, Kokou; Johnson, Jean‐Martial; Alognon, Amakoe Delali; Tanaka, Atsuko; Atta, Sanoussi; Saito, Kazuki

doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2014.03.009

Cited by 17 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This may have caused the non-adoption of these rotary weeders by the rainfed-rice farmers. This experience underpins the need for mechanical weeders specific to rice-growing conditions to be designed, introduced and tested using a participatory approach of farmers, similar to what has been done by Gongotchame et al (2014) in Benin. Bunding and levelling were carried out by all the farmers in 2013; however, only 78 and 67% of the rainfed-rice farmers repeated these operations in 2014.…”

Section: Implementation Of Gap Component Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 94%

Increasing paddy yields and improving farm management: results from participatory experiments with good agricultural practices (GAP) in Tanzania

Senthilkumar¹,

Tesha²,

Mghase³

et al. 2018

Paddy Water Environ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rice is an increasingly important commodity in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, the rice yield gap is as high as 87%, due to a combination of production constraints and sub-optimal crop management. Reducing this yield gap may be partly achieved through the introduction and dissemination of good agricultural practices (GAP). We conducted 18 farmer-managed onfarm trials in Tanzania, to test a set of GAP components against conventional farmers' practices (FP) for two consecutive growing seasons in 2013 and 2014. The objectives were: (1) to understand farmers' capabilities in implementing GAP; (2) to acquire better insights into the merits, relevance and suitability of individual GAP components; and (3) to provide a case study showing that exposure to good practices combined with the farmers' own experimentations can serve to improve and, trigger a positive change in the participating farmers' crop management. Compared to the farmers' own practices, average yield increases of 1 t paddy ha −1 in 2013 and 2.7 t ha −1 in 2014 were achieved when following GAP. These yield advantages were mainly obtained by a higher panicle number, improved harvest index and improved weed control. Farmers experienced difficulties with land levelling, planting or sowing in lines and using rotary weeders, but they were convinced that these technologies are important to boost their rice yields. The case of Tanzania shows that paddy yields can be substantially improved by GAP and that adoption of GAP by smallholder rice farmers can be triggered by stimulating experimentations with such practices on their own farms.

show abstract

Section: Implementation Of Gap Component Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 94%

Increasing paddy yields and improving farm management: results from participatory experiments with good agricultural practices (GAP) in Tanzania

Senthilkumar¹,

Tesha²,

Mghase³

et al. 2018

Paddy Water Environ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The first option, hand weeding, is labor intensive; in upland rice systems hand weeding was estimated to take 173 to 376 person-hours per hectare, depending on the number of weeding interventions (Ogwuike et al 2014). Mechanical tools for weeding, either person-driven, animaldriven or engine-driven, are scarce in rice systems in Africa (Rodenburg and Johnson 2009;Gongotchame et al 2014), despite a latent interest from farmers (Johnson et al 2018). Herbicide application, when applied well, is usually the most effective and least labor-intensive weed control method with the highest yield return .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status quo of chemical weed control in rice in sub-Saharan Africa

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

If future rice production is to contribute to food security for the increasing population of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), effective strategies are needed to control weeds, the crop's fiercest competitors for resources. To gain better insights into farmers' access to, and use of, herbicides as part of weed control strategies, surveys were conducted in key rice production locations across SSA. Farm surveys were held among 1965 farmers across 20 countries to collect data on rice yields, farmer's weed management practices, herbicide use, frequencies of interventions and information sources regarding herbicides. Markets were surveyed across 17 countries to collect data on herbicide availability, brand names and local prices (converted to US$ ha −1 ). Herbicides are used by 34% of the rice farmers in SSA, but adoption ranges from 0 to 72% across countries. Herbicides are more often used by men (40%) than by women (27%) and more often in irrigated (44% of farmers) than in rainfed lowland (36%) or upland rice growing environments (24%). Herbicides are always used supplementary to hand weeding. Following this combination, yield loss reductions in irrigated lowlands and rainfed uplands are estimated to be 0.4 t ha −1 higher than hand weeding alone. In rainfed lowlands no benefits were observed from herbicide use. Sixty-two percent of the herbicides sold at rural agro-chemical supply markets are unauthorized. These markets are dominated by glyphosate and 2,4-D, sold under 55 and 41 different brand names, respectively, and at relatively competitive prices (below average herbicide price of US $17 ha −1 ). They are also the most popular herbicides among farmers. For advice on herbicide application methods, farmers primarily rely on their peers, and only a few receive advice from extension services (<23%) or inform themselves by reading the product label (<16%). Herbicide application timings are therefore often (38%) sub-optimal. Herbicide technologies can contribute to reduced production losses in rice in SSA. However, through negative effects on crop, environment and human health, incorrect herbicide use may unintentionally counteract efforts to increase food security. Moving away from this status quo will require strict implementation and monitoring of national pesticide regulations and investment in research and development to innovate and diversify the currently followed weed management strategies, agricultural service provision and communications with farmers.

show abstract

“…S1). As technical characteristics and drawings were described in a previous study (Gongotchame et al, 2014) and on a website (http://www.ricehub.org/RT/weeds/weeders/), here we only briefly describe differences among them. The ring hoe does not have any rotating parts, like other weeders.…”

Section: Description Of Study Sites and Mechanical Weedersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmers’ Perceptions on Mechanical Weeders for Rice Production in Sub-Saharan Africa

et al. 2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARYCompetition from weeds is one of the major biophysical constraints to rice (Oryza spp.) production in sub-Saharan Africa. Smallholder rice farmers require efficient, affordable and labour-saving weed management technologies. Mechanical weeders have shown to fit this profile. Several mechanical weeder types exist but little is known about locally specific differences in performance and farmer preference between these types. Three to six different weeder types were evaluated at 10 different sites across seven countries – i.e., Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda and Togo. A total of 310 farmers (173 male, 137 female) tested the weeders, scored them for their preference, and compared them with their own weed management practices. In a follow-up study, 186 farmers from Benin and Nigeria received the ring hoe, which was the most preferred in these two countries, to use it during the entire crop growing season. Farmers were surveyed on their experiences. The probability of the ring hoe having the highest score among the tested weeders was 71%. The probability of farmers’ preference of the ring hoe over their usual practices – i.e., herbicide, traditional hoe and hand weeding – was 52, 95 and 91%, respectively. The preference of this weeder was not related to gender, years of experience with rice cultivation, rice field size, weed infestation level, water status or soil texture. In the follow-up study, 80% of farmers who used the ring hoe indicated that weeding time was reduced by at least 31%. Of the farmers testing the ring hoe in the follow-up study, 35% used it also for other crops such as vegetables, maize, sorghum, cassava and millet. These results suggest that the ring hoe offers a gender-neutral solution for reducing labour for weeding in rice as well as other crops and that it is compatible with a wide range of environments. The implications of our findings and challenges for out-scaling of mechanical weeders are discussed.

show abstract

Participatory evaluation of mechanical weeders in lowland rice production systems in Benin

Cited by 17 publications

References 9 publications

Increasing paddy yields and improving farm management: results from participatory experiments with good agricultural practices (GAP) in Tanzania

Increasing paddy yields and improving farm management: results from participatory experiments with good agricultural practices (GAP) in Tanzania

Status quo of chemical weed control in rice in sub-Saharan Africa

Farmers’ Perceptions on Mechanical Weeders for Rice Production in Sub-Saharan Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About