Technical and institutional constraints of a cotton pest management strategy in Benin

Togbé, Codjo Euloge; Zannou, Élisabeth; Vodouhè, Simplice D.; Haagsma, Rein; Gbèhounou, G.; Kossou, D.K.; Huis, A. van

doi:10.1016/j.njas.2012.06.005

Cited by 20 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Ineffective extension services have also been considered a key factor leading to the overuse of pesticides in China, as shown in our study. The same result has been reported in studies from African countries (Midega et al, 2012;Togbe et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Factors affecting farmers' behaviour in pesticide use: Insights from a field study in northern China

Fan

Niu

Yang

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

187

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Factors affecting farmers' behaviour in pesticide use: Insights from a field study in northern China

Fan

Niu

Yang

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

187

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…In this research, a reduction of 10%-15% in farmers' overall use of pesticides was achieved via farmers' knowledge improvement. Similar findings have been reported by Idris et al [17], Xu et al [28], and Togbé et al [29]. Technical and operational aspects are the other main criteria for pesticide use.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Hence, the issue is still in an exploratory and premature stage. To identify the criteria items that farmers consider in selecting and using a pesticide product in the pest control operation, an expert panel discussion and a relevant literature survey were carried out [9,19,22,[25][26][27]29,33]. The initial questionnaire items were first examined in three rounds by a panel organized by a plant protection professor, four local extension agents, and three researchers who majored in plant protection products, as well as five key informant farmers in pesticide use.…”

Section: Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Technical factors may constrain farmers to use alternative chemical pesticides [28]. Simply put, since technical constraints can lead to misapplication [29], farmers generally show a tendency to choose pesticides that can be more easily handled and applied. Moreover, farmers use those pesticides that can be combined with other pesticides, because they believe that a more effective action can result from pesticide mixtures [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Farmers’ Criteria for Pesticide Selection and Use in the Pest Control Process

et al. 2018

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Chemical pesticides have been widely overused by farmers in Iran, but farmers' criteria for pesticide selection and use are not well understood. A field survey of 411 farmers was carried out in Mazandaran, Iran, to study farmers' criteria for selecting and using pesticides in the pest control process and explaining differences in selection criteria among farmers. From a list with a total of 25 criteria, five main groups were identified as key decision criteria for pesticide selection and use, using factor analysis. These groups included: (i) performance and effectiveness criteria, (ii) awareness and information criteria, (iii) technical and operational criteria, (iv) environmental criteria, and (v) financial and accessibility criteria. Performance and effectiveness criteria had the highest importance for farmers when selecting and using pesticides (mean 3.45), followed by financial and accessibility criteria (mean 3.28). Farmers who received training regarding pesticide use (mean 2.23 vs. 1.90) and farmers who had experience with integrated pest management (IPM) practices (mean 2.46 vs. 1.79) tended to consider environmental criteria when selecting and using pesticides. Similarly, farmers who experienced health risks related to working with pesticides (mean 2.0 vs. 1.77), farmers who used protection when spraying (mean 2.58 vs. 1.87), and farmers who knew about natural enemies of pests (mean 2.11 vs. 1.85) tended to consider environmental criteria when selecting and using pesticides. Farmers without off-farm income tended to consider financial and accessibility criteria more than farmers with off-farm income (mean 3.40 vs. 3.18). Farmers with college education favored awareness and information criteria, whereas experienced farmers favored the criteria of performance and effectiveness. Farmers with a high income showed a tendency to prefer performance and effectiveness criteria more than farmers with less income. Farmers who thought that pesticides are hazardous preferred environmental criteria more than farmers who thought that pesticides are not hazardous. Farmers who believed in the effectiveness of alternatives to chemical pest control (e.g., use of biological control, pheromone traps, or cultural control) preferred performance and effectiveness criteria less than farmers who believed no effectiveness or slight effectiveness of alternatives to chemical pest control. The findings provide useful information for better understanding factors affecting farmers' choices of pesticides and for improving future extension courses related to farmers' decisions about pesticide use.

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“…Analysis of the causes of the poor performance reveals two types of constraints that affect the entire cotton sector: (1) technical constraints relating to the production process and (2) organizational and institutional constraints relating to the management of financial flows, the management of inputs, and the calculation of farm-gate prices. The latter category also includes the group solidarity guarantee -caution solidaire (Togbé et al 2012) -that has been in force over the last 30 years. This guarantee allows micro-credit to be granted to small farmers without physical or material collateral, and they jointly commit themselves to repay the loan on the basis of mutual trust (Sinzogan et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the 2009 reform of the cotton sector in Benin: perspectives from the field

Togbé¹,

Vodouhè

Gbèhounou

et al. 2014

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

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The immediate consequences of the 2009 reform of the cotton sector in Benin are assessed from the farmers' perspective. Using a policy arrangements approach, we analyse how farmers experienced the transformations brought about by the reform and how it influenced their day-to-day activities. The new farmer cooperatives established after the reform were trusted by farmers. Many farmers returned to the sector, increasing cotton output. Nevertheless, productivity remained low, around 900 kg/ha, probably because the reform addressed mainly institutional constraints. Technical constraints relating to varietal choice, soil fertility improvement, and pest management were neglected. The policy arrangements emerging from the reform still generate discussion, in particular about the way actors and coalitions are organized. The top-down approach of the reform process has limitations for problem-solving, especially where actors' interests collide. The adjustments made under the reform with regard to farmer-based organizations and actors from public services, the caution solidaire, and farmers' supervision proved inappropriate for solving the institutional problems posed at the nodes of actors and coalitions, resources, discourses, and institutions, thereby further undermining the cotton sector. A mix of technological and institutional reforms might offer a more effective option for the future.

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Technical and institutional constraints of a cotton pest management strategy in Benin

Cited by 20 publications

References 13 publications

Factors affecting farmers' behaviour in pesticide use: Insights from a field study in northern China

Factors affecting farmers' behaviour in pesticide use: Insights from a field study in northern China

Farmers’ Criteria for Pesticide Selection and Use in the Pest Control Process

Evaluation of the 2009 reform of the cotton sector in Benin: perspectives from the field

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