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Adoption and Impacts of IPM for Cambodian Rice Farmers

This study evaluates the adoption and impacts of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) adoption for rice in Cambodia. Extent of adoption and characteristics of adopters are discovered. Farmers are considered high adopters of IPM if they used two non-pesticide or minimal-pesticide practices to control rice insect, disease, weed, or rodent pests in the last twelve months; farmers are considered low adopters if they used one practice; farmers are considered non-adopters if they used zero practices. IPM practices include pest-resistant variety; stale seedbed (sequential harrowing or harrowing followed by a non-selective herbicide); apply Trichoderma on seeds or seedlings, no insecticide spray for the first 40 days; apply bio-pesticides such as neem, Bt, and metarhizium, and Beauvaria; Sarcocystis bait for rodents; hand weeding at recommended growth stage; and/or another practice specified by the farmer.

Out of 394 farmers surveyed, 40 (10.15%) were found to be high adopters, 228 (57.86%) were found to be low adopters, and 126 (31.97%) were found to be non-adopters of IPM. IPM practices currently include mostly hand-weeding and no spray for 40 days; few other practices were adopted. Our study reveals a need for broader education on rice IPM throughout Cambodia. The high frequency of pesticide applications among rice farmers, the finding that adoption of IPM was not found to have a meaningful influence on the number of pesticide applications, and the finding that less than one-quarter of farmers in our study have received training on IPM reveal the need for increased knowledge of IPM in Cambodia, and the need for future education on IPM to focus on reducing pesticide use. / Master of Science / This study evaluates the adoption and impacts of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for rice in four provinces in Cambodia. IPM is an ecologically-friendly pest management philosophy that offers alternatives to reliance on harmful chemical pesticides.

Farmers are divided into groups of high adopters, low adopters, and non-adopters depending on the number of IPM practices used. Proportion and characteristics of adopters, frequency and type of IPM practices, and scope of IPM training in the region are discovered. Determinants of adoption and the effect of adoption on level of pesticide use on rice are analyzed using econometric analysis.

Out of 394 farmers surveyed, 40 (10.15%) were found to be high adopters, 228 (57.86%) were found to be low adopters, and 126 (31.97%) were found to be non-adopters of IPM. Adopters primarily use only two types of IPM practices. Less than one-quarter of farmers in our study have received training on IPM.

Farmers who have more years of experience in rice cultivation, and farmers who consider agricultural extension a top source of agricultural information are more likely to adopt IPM. Farmers who have more family members who are able to work, and farmers who consider input suppliers a top source of agricultural information are less likely to adopt IPM.

Adoption of IPM was not found to meaningfully influence the number of pesticide applications on rice.

Our study reveals the need for increased training on rice IPM in Cambodia, and the need for future IPM education to focus on reducing pesticide use.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/80412
Date15 November 2017
CreatorsJackson, Sydni Blaine
ContributorsAgricultural and Applied Economics, Norton, George W., Alwang, Jeffrey R., Peterson, Everett B.
PublisherVirginia Tech
Source SetsVirginia Tech Theses and Dissertation
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
FormatETD, application/pdf, application/msword, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
CoverageCambodia
RightsIn Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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