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Caught off guard: folk knowledge proves deficient when addressing invasive pests in Asian cassava systems

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Abstract

Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs are of paramount importance in shaping the on-farm adoption and diffusion of integrated pest management (IPM). In particular, for invasive pests, this (gendered) knowledge base can dictate how fast and effective farmers respond to emerging threats. In this study, we employ qualitative and quantitative methods to assess agro-ecological knowledge and pest management behavior of small-scale cassava growers in rural Vietnam and Laos, when faced with two new biotic threats, i.e., the invasive cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti and cassava witches broom disease. Despite their pronounced impact on crop yields, farmers overall had limited knowledge of recent invaders and regularly ascribed their appearance to “climate change". Growers were largely unaware of preventative tactics for pest control, and resorted to curative measures (e.g., unguided pesticide sprays) at the P. manihoti invasion front. Farmers’ attitudes toward invasive pests were highly context- and locality-dependent, and knowledge scores differed between households positioned along a gender continuum. Though women assumed a minor role in IPM decision-making and possessed comparatively deficient knowledge, they favored agro-ecological approaches and took on key tasks in the selection of propagation material. Gender roles in cassava crop protection are equally context-dependent, yet women may be well-positioned to promote IPM practices such as the use of disease-free planting material. Future extension should thus pay attention to (a) strengthening (women) farmers’ knowledge base, to empower them as change agents and drive IPM adoption, and (b) transferring local innovations between sites, eventually through visual educational aids. Given the increasing importance of invasive pests in many developing countries, our work emphasizes how adult education and (adaptive) co-learning should become core components of mitigation programs.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by an EU-IFAD grant executed by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT (CIAT-EGC-60-1000004285) and further support was extended through the global, CGIAR-wide Research Program (CRP) on Roots, Tubers and Banana (RTB). In Vietnam, survey work was facilitated through national, provincial and district-level offices of the Plant Protection Department, PPD (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, MARD). We are grateful to Mr. Ngo Tien Dung and Ms. Hong Hanh for seamless facilitation of field activities. We thank Mr. Lao Thao for crucial logistical support in Laos, and are equally thankful to Ms. Lan Ngoc Le and Lisa Anderberg for their support in undertaking field work in Vietnam and Laos, respectively. Finally, we are grateful to all participant farmers for their helpful cooperation in personal interviews or focal-group discussions.

Funding

This study was conducted as part of an EC-funded, IFAD-managed, CIAT-executed program (CIAT-EGC-60-1000004285), while additional funding was provided through the CGIAR-wide Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Banana (CRP-RTB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Banana (CRP-RTB), International Potato Center CIP, Apartado 1558, Lima, Peru

    Bhawana Upadhyay

  2. Decision and Policy Analysis Group, International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Dharani D. Burra

  3. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Than Thi Nguyen

  4. CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Banana (CRP-RTB), International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Kris A. G. Wyckhuys

  5. International Joint Research Laboratory on Ecological Pest Management, Fuzhou, Fujian, People’s Republic of China

    Kris A. G. Wyckhuys

  6. University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Kris A. G. Wyckhuys

  7. Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Rd, Haidian District, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Kris A. G. Wyckhuys

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  1. Bhawana Upadhyay
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  2. Dharani D. Burra
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  3. Than Thi Nguyen
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  4. Kris A. G. Wyckhuys
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Correspondence to Kris A. G. Wyckhuys.

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Approval for farmer surveys in both Laos and Vietnam was obtained from CIAT’s institutional ethical committee.

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Upadhyay, B., Burra, D.D., Nguyen, T.T. et al. Caught off guard: folk knowledge proves deficient when addressing invasive pests in Asian cassava systems. Environ Dev Sustain 22, 425–445 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0208-x

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