evaluation of farmer’s knowledge on vegetable pests & diseases and their management practices...
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N A M B A N G I A J U S T I N O K O L L E , V I C T O R A F A R I -S E F A , P R E C I L I A T A T A I J I A N G , F R A N C I S
A J E B E S O N E N G O M E , J E A N - C L A U D E B I D O G E Z A
a t :
H u m i d t r o p i c s I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e
M a r c h 3 - 6 , 2 0 1 5
I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e o f T r o p i c a l A g r i c u l t u r e ( I I T A ) ,
I b a d a n , N i g e r i a
Evaluation of Farmer’s Knowledge on Vegetable Pests & Diseases and their Management Practices in Cocoa-based Farming Systems of the Humidtropics
of Cameroon
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Outline of Presentation
Background and Scope of Study
Study Objectives
Overview of Study Area
Study Methods and Data Analysis
Results and Discussion
Summary & Conclusions
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Imbalanced diets: Lack of micronutrients
= HUNGE
= MICRONUTRIENT
DEFICIENCY Deficiency in
vitamins & minerals 2 billion
malnourished
= IMBALANCED CONSUMPTION
Excess calories ≥ 1.4 billion
overweight
= HUNGER Deficiency in calories & protein
≥ 870 million underweight
Source: FAO; IFAD; WFP, 2012
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Traditional treasures: diet diversity
Amaranth
African
eggplant
Cowpea Ethiopian kale
Spider plant Nightshade
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Background: Vegetables, a path out of poverty
Vegetables are rich in micronutrients, phytochemicals and a good source of antioxidants
Smallholders often have a comparative advantage in producing vegetables, since there are limited economies of scale
Vegetable production leads to higher (diversified) farm income per unit area and generates more jobs than other crops
Vegetable VCs help optimize farming systems both in terms of intensification & diversification
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Background Information
In spite of their nutritional importance as well as increasing demand by urban dwellers, the sector is hit with constraints hindering production in quantity and quality
Most farmers have little or no knowledge on safe and effective production/processing techniques
A common problem especially in SSA is the excessive abuse and misuse of pesticides
It is therefore common to find farmers using banned or extremely dangerous chemicals on vegetable fields.
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Study Objectives
The main objective of this study is to ascertain and document local knowledge and perceptions of vegetable stakeholders on vegetable pests and diseases, and their crop protection management practices within cocoa-based farming systems of the HT of Cameroon
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Overview of Study Sites
•Involved 3 agro-ecological zones (Zones III, IV & V) located in the humid tropics of Cameroon
• Zone III: Western Highlands (Bafoussam area)
• Zone IV: Humid Forest with mono-modal rainfall (Buea area)
• Zone V: Humid Forest with bimodal rainfall (Ebolowa area).
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Study Methods & Data Needs
9
Desktop review
Qualitative and quantitative survey methods, including key informant and focus group interviews with one-on-one structured interviews and complemented observational assessments
Descriptive statistics used to interprete data
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Results & Discussion
10
Cropping systems are highly diversified with 87.5% of respon-
dents cultivating vegetables under mixed cropping systems, 85%
of whom are women. Climate uncertainty & seasonality of some crops compel
cocoa farmers to diversify crops, food sources and income. Vegetables such as tomato, cabbage, green pepper and
watermelon are the primary crops in Baffousam, whereas traditional vegetables such as African nightshade and amaranth dominate in Buea and Ebolowa.
Of the 15 vegetables cultivated at all 3 study sites, more than 60% were TAVs
Insect infestation and fungal infection were found to be the most critical biotic constraints
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Crop Protection Practices
12
Varied by vegetable type but mostly used pesticides, especially on huckleberry, tomato, pepper and amaranth.
The highest incidence of pesticide application was in Baffousam area, with >60% of respondents confirming its use
Despite awareness of the harmful effects of excessive pesticide application, a majority of respondents, particularly in Buea, applied more than the recommended levels.
More females than males applied higher than recommended pesticide doses, used banned pesticides, harvested vegetables only 2-3 days after spraying, and applied pesticides not registered for use on vegetables.
>60% of respondents did not store pesticides in safe places
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Results & Discussion
14
Pesticide Misuse:
Drinking water in pesticide containers
Pesticides in wrong containers Spraying of insecticides prior to immediate harvest
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Results & Discussion
15
No significantly disparities between males and females
Skin irritations (27.4%) common in Beua area
Skin irritations + watery eyes (20.8%) common in Bafoussam area.
Case of pesticide causing blindness reported in Buea area
Generally, few cases of dizziness, vomiting, stomach disorder and headache reported from post-application effects of pesticides.
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Summary & Conclusions
16
There are laws to cater for the environment and control of dangerous chemicals including pesticides.
Laws are based on certain international conventions e.g. the Stockholm, Rotterdam, Bamako, and IPPC) but are hardly enforced particularly on banned and inappropriate agrochemical usage
High incidence of pesticide misuse in some vegetables (e.g. amaranth, Huckleberry, tomatoes, cabbage)
Most farmers have not been trained on effective use of agrochemicals on vegetables (especially TAVs)
Very little awareness creation and sensitization on the dangers of pesticide misuse. Spillover effects on staple and tree crop production based agrochemicals on vegetables
In adequate efforts to effectively enforce laws/regulations concerning pesticides and/or dangerous chemicals.
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Micronutrient content of common and indigenous vegetables
Ranges Tomato Cabbage Moringa Amaranth Aibika Sweet potato
leaf
b-Carotene,mg 0.0 - 22 0.40 0.00 15.28 9.23 5.11 6.82
Vit C, mg 1.1 - 353 19 22 459 113 82 81
Vit E, mg 0.0 - 71 1.16 0.05 25.25 3.44 4.51 4.69
Iron, mg 0.2 – 26 0.54 0.30 10.09 5.54 1.40 1.88
Folates, mg 2.8 – 175 5 ND 93 78 177 39
Antioxidant activity, TE
0.6 - 82,000 323 496 2858 394 560 870
Source: AVRDC Nutrition Lab
Traditional vegetables: Rich in nutrients
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