Weed management in upland rice in sub-Saharan Africa: impact on labor and crop productivity

Ogwuike, Philomena Chioma-Akalugo; Rodenburg, Jonne; Diagne, Aliou; Agboh-Noameshie, Afiavi R.; Amovin-Assagba, Eyram

doi:10.1007/s12571-014-0351-7

Cited by 34 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…(), and Ogwuike et al. (), we expected that weeding once early and/or weeding twice would reduce farmers’ technical inefficiency. However, since weeding more than twice significantly reduces the severity of Rhamphicarpa in Benin (N'cho et al., ), we expected this to reduce the technical inefficiency even more than weeding once, in case of Rhamphicarpa infestation.…”

Section: Data Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…This is particularly true for Côte d'Ivoire where weeding labor inefficiency was higher on infested farms than on noninfested farms (Section 4.1). Since manual weeding is labor‐intensive, the completion of this task is often delayed, resulting in lower rice yields despite the large amount of labor (Ogwuike et al., ; Rodenburg and Johnson, ). To be efficient, timing of weeding interventions in rice is very important as was shown by Johnson et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This explains why for the majority of farmers in these systems, weeding take up more than 50% of the available farm labor (Akobundu, ; Stessens, ). Manual weeding is time consuming (Ogwuike et al., ) and the amount and costs of weeding labor is a primary concern (Ruthenberg, ). More efficient weeding strategies could save farmers’ time and money to be allocated to other activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These weeds affect rice production in at least 30 countries in SSA, causing crop losses that amount up to U.S. $200 million each year, even using conservative estimates (Rodenburg et al., ). As hand weeding is the most used management option in rainfed rice systems (Ogwuike et al., ), rethinking the role of weeding labor is crucial to improve productivity of these systems. Labor, and in particular weeding labor, is the most constraining input factor in smallholder rainfed rice production systems in SSA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inefficiency of manual weeding in rainfed rice systems affected by parasitic weeds

N'Cho

Mourits

Rodenburg

2019

Agricultural Economics

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Manual weeding is the predominant weed control practice and the most labor-consuming activity in smallholder, rainfed rice systems in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the technical inefficiency of weeding labor, other labor, and overall inputs, and identifies sources of technical inefficiency of weeding labor in the context of parasitic weed infestation. The analysis applies a two-stage approach. First, a directional input distance function DEA approach was used to compute input-specific technical inefficiencies. Second, sources of technical inefficiency of weeding labor were identified using a truncated bootstrap regression. Data from 406 randomly selected smallholder farmers from Benin (n = 215) and Côte d'Ivoire (n = 191) were used. The technical inefficiency of weeding labor was high in both countries (58% in Côte d'Ivoire and 69% in Benin). This implies that a substantial fraction of weeding labor could be saved without reducing rice productivity or increasing the use of other inputs. A decrease in the technical inefficiency of weeding labor with an increase in production scale was observed. In addition, weeding regime and education level were each associated to significant changes in the technical inefficiency of weeding labor.JEL classifications: C01, C02, C14, C34

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Section: Data Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inefficiency of manual weeding in rainfed rice systems affected by parasitic weeds

N'Cho

Mourits

Rodenburg

2019

Agricultural Economics

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“…The most common weed management practice in smallscale rice farming in SSA is hand weeding. Manual weed control is, however, extremely energy and time consuming (Akobundu 1987;Akobundu and Fagade 1978;Lodin-Bergman et al 2012;Ogwuike et al 2014 (Kremer and Lock 1993). Although herbicides are known to be labor saving (Lawrence and Dijkman 1997), the relative high costs limit their use.…”

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confidence: 99%

Labor-Saving Weed Technologies for Lowland Rice Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa

Rodenburg¹,

Saito

Irakiza³

et al. 2015

Weed technol.

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Time requirements, weed control efficacy, and yield effects of three labor-saving weed technologies were tested against hand weeding during three seasons in 2012 and 2013. The technologies included two hand-operated mechanical weeders, the straight-spike and the twisted-spike floating weeder, and the PRE application of oxadiazon. The straight-spike floating weeder reduced weeding time by 32 to 49%, the twisted-spike floating weeder reduced weeding time by 32 to 56%, and the application of herbicide required 88 to 97% less time than hand weeding. Herbicide application provided the best weed control in two of the three seasons. No differences in weed control efficacy were observed between mechanical and hand weeding. Yield differences were only observed in season 3 with higher rice yields after PRE application of oxadiazon compared with other weed management treatments.

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Local perceptions of the benefits versus negative impacts of weedy grasses in central Madagascar, with a focus on the genus Digitaria

Randrianarimanana,

Rakotomalala,

MacKinnon

et al. 2024

Plants People Planet

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Societal Impact StatementPlants and agricultural practices are an integral part of human food systems and well‐being. Here, an example of an ethnobotanical research approach is provided to increase our understanding of the relationship between plants and human activities in Madagascar, where the agricultural sector is the local economy basis. This research examines weeds of the Poaceae family, assessing their recognition and societal impacts, and quantifying farmers' perception of the Poaceae weed's status in cropping systems. A better understanding of farmers' weed knowledge will strengthen our ability to inclusively support rural highland Malagasy food systems, incorporating science with traditional knowledge.Summary Research on the perceptions and knowledge of Poaceae weeds was conducted in three areas of Madagascar's central highlands: Itremo massif, Ambohidray village and Vakinankaratra region. This work aims to identify the best‐known species and understand their roles in crop and livestock systems. Additionally, it presents detailed data on Digitaria species. The approach was based on field surveys and farmer's interviews, with plant voucher specimens and photographs to facilitate identification. Relative frequency of citations, confidence interval, and use values indexes were calculated to assess cultural significance. We carried out 111 interviews, where 87 taxa were mentioned, of which 51 are Poaceae, including 11 Digitaria species. Farmers classify the Poaceae weeds in three ways: their impacts on agricultural activities, use category and vegetative growth patterns, the latter especially significant for Digitaria. Locally common grasses are perceived as weeds when they are abundant and cause yield loss. The most damaging species is Digitaria humbertii, confirmed by half of the interviews. More than 40% of the farmers use Poaceae weeds in composting, more than 20% as fodder, and more than 8% as medicine. Overall, 67% of the species mentioned are judged useful. The diversity of useful species and the associated indigenous knowledge is important to the local communities, but, weeds are still perceived as negative generally. The Poaceae are overall neglected in Malagasy ethnobotany, and an in‐depth analysis of farmer knowledge is needed. The data obtained will be useful for future studies and the conservation of agrobiodiversity, especially endemic species that are not widely known.

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Weed management in upland rice in sub-Saharan Africa: impact on labor and crop productivity

Cited by 34 publications

References 32 publications

Inefficiency of manual weeding in rainfed rice systems affected by parasitic weeds

Inefficiency of manual weeding in rainfed rice systems affected by parasitic weeds

Labor-Saving Weed Technologies for Lowland Rice Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa

Local perceptions of the benefits versus negative impacts of weedy grasses in central Madagascar, with a focus on the genus Digitaria

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