Drivers of Adoption of Integrated Pest Management among Small-scale Vegetable Farmers in Lubumbashi, DR Congo

Abstract

Integrated Pest Management techniques (IPM) have been promoted last decade throughout a large Urban and Periurban Horticulture project (UPH) for a sustainable vegetable production in Congolese cities. However, the drivers of adoption of IPM techniques have not been either studied or identified. Data collected between April and June 2016 throughout field survey from 246 vegetable farmers were analyzed using a logistic regression model to determine the factors influencing the adoption of IPM techniques among vegetable farmers. Results showed that there were no significant differences between gender and the willingness to use IPM (p>0.05). However, a high portion of female (46.6%) reported that they would like to test new IPM techniques without any hesitation. Membership to a farmer’s group (Association) and previous agricultural training influenced positively and significantly the IPM adoption (p= 0.000) and increased highly the probability of adopting IPM respectively 4.2 and 7.7 times. Further, results also highlighted that farmers who previously perceived negative effects of pesticides were likely 5.2 times predisposed (p<0.05) to adopt alternative methods of pest control. Findings will allow an increased understanding of the process of IPM adoption and will help provide policy guidance to promote IPM diffusion with a purpose of reducing pesticide issues among farmers.