FARMERS' KNOWLEDGE OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY IN THE ZANJAN PROVINCE IN IRAN

Esmail Karamidehkordi (1) , Atefeh Hashemi (1)

1 Agricultural Extension and Rural Development,

Integrated pest management (IPM) has been recognized to be a sustainable method for pest prevention, monitoring and control. Farmers' knowledge and participation are key elements of achieving this approach. The purpose of this study was to assess farmers' knowledge and skills of IPM for the farm pest control. The study was conducted in the Zanjan Province of Iran using a case study through qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques such as participatory observations, structured and semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and transect walks with the farmers of the Nimavar Village. The farmers hardly used non-chemical pest control methods (e.g. mechanical and biological techniques and natural enemies) and their awareness of using these methods was low. Although the farmers were to some extent aware of the side-effects of the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, they still continued utilizing chemical inputs due to the shortage of knowledge of and little access to the alternative or sustainable techniques and facilities. The farmers showed little access to private or public extension or research institutions for this matter. It is suggested to improve agricultural extension service to facilitate participatory agricultural research, especially using the farmer field school approach and to provide the required chemical and non-chemical inputs in order to make information and inputs more available and accessible. This can make the implementation of IPM projects effective.

Mots clés: knowledge; IPM; farmer; chemical pest control; biological pest control; Iran

Domaines: Agriculture, économie et politique

Esmail Karamidehkordi, Atefeh Hashemi. FARMERS' KNOWLEDGE OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY IN THE ZANJAN PROVINCE IN IRAN. ISDA 2010, Jun 2010, Montpellier, France. 10 p. ⟨hal-00510402⟩