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Does IPM Have Staying Power? Revisiting a Potato‐producing Area Years After Formal Training Ended
Author(s) -
Carrión Yaguana Vanessa,
Alwang Jeffrey,
Norton George,
Barrera Victor
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.157
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1477-9552
pISSN - 0021-857X
DOI - 10.1111/1477-9552.12140
Subject(s) - outreach , integrated pest management , agricultural science , business , agriculture , production (economics) , pest analysis , formal education , marketing , agronomy , economics , biology , economic growth , ecology , macroeconomics , psychology , pedagogy
Integrated pest management ( IPM ) potentially reduces pesticide use and costs of agricultural production. However, IPM is knowledge intensive and its spread may dissipate over time due to knowledge required for its effective implementation and to competing messages about pest control. We examine IPM spread and adoption several years after formal intensive IPM outreach efforts ceased in a potato‐producing region in Ecuador. We describe adoption patterns and sources of IPM knowledge in 2012 and compare them with patterns that existed when outreach ceased in 2003. Results show that IPM adoption continues in the area but with a lower proportion of farmers fully adopting all practices and a higher proportion adopting low to moderate levels as compared to 2003. Almost all potato farmers in the area use some IPM practices, reflecting a major increase in IPM use. Farmer‐to‐farmer spread has supplanted formal training and outreach mechanisms. IPM adoption significantly lowers pesticide use and saves production costs for adopters.