Maize farmers’ response to crisis: The case of fall armyworm infestation in Ejisu Municipality, Ghana
AbstractThe Fall Armyworm (FAW) is among the most devastating plant pests in terms of crop loss and economic impact. It was first reported in 2016 and has spread rapidly across the African continent, causing extensive damage to maize crops. With the importance of maize in food security and livelihoo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2023-12-01
|
| Series: | Cogent Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2023.2275862 |
| _version_ | 1827586830750449664 |
|---|---|
| author | Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum Sebastian Kwabena Appiah Fred Ankuyi John-Eudes Andivi Bakang Justice Frimpong-Manso Padlass Patrick Edeafour Maxwell Toah Asiamah |
| author_facet | Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum Sebastian Kwabena Appiah Fred Ankuyi John-Eudes Andivi Bakang Justice Frimpong-Manso Padlass Patrick Edeafour Maxwell Toah Asiamah |
| author_sort | Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | AbstractThe Fall Armyworm (FAW) is among the most devastating plant pests in terms of crop loss and economic impact. It was first reported in 2016 and has spread rapidly across the African continent, causing extensive damage to maize crops. With the importance of maize in food security and livelihoods, understanding effective communication channels is crucial. The study was designed to evaluate maize farmers’ communicative interventions in response to fall armyworm infestation in the Ejisu municipality. A multistage sampling procedure was adopted to select 400 maize farmers. Descriptive and econometric techniques were used to analyse the data. The maize farmers were knowledgeable about fall armyworm (FAW), and radio was their key source of information about FAW. Agricultural officers served as the most effective and preferred source of information about FAW. The outcomes obtained from the multivariate probit analysis reveal that the choice of communication intervention (thus, agricultural officers, radio, television and social media) is influenced by age, education, alternative livelihoods, access to credit, and cooperative society.1 Difficulty managing farms with poor planting distances2 was ranked as the greatest challenge in FAW management. The study highlights the need for maize farmers to consider indigenous communication interventions to supplement modern channels for effectively communicating and managing FAW infestations. Policymakers should prioritise the development of comprehensive communication strategies that integrate both modern and indigenous approaches to effectively disseminate information and enhance knowledge exchange among maize farmers in managing FAW outbreaks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:08:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae9d3e4a2ac44fd8a57e48f414c27c42 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2331-1886 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:08:25Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae9d3e4a2ac44fd8a57e48f414c27c422023-12-12T12:45:38ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862023-12-019210.1080/23311886.2023.2275862Maize farmers’ response to crisis: The case of fall armyworm infestation in Ejisu Municipality, GhanaEnoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum0Sebastian Kwabena Appiah1Fred Ankuyi2John-Eudes Andivi Bakang3Justice Frimpong-Manso4Padlass Patrick Edeafour5Maxwell Toah Asiamah6Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)-Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)-Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)-Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)-Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)-Kumasi, GhanaCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research, Soil Research Institute, Kwadaso-Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)-Kumasi, GhanaAbstractThe Fall Armyworm (FAW) is among the most devastating plant pests in terms of crop loss and economic impact. It was first reported in 2016 and has spread rapidly across the African continent, causing extensive damage to maize crops. With the importance of maize in food security and livelihoods, understanding effective communication channels is crucial. The study was designed to evaluate maize farmers’ communicative interventions in response to fall armyworm infestation in the Ejisu municipality. A multistage sampling procedure was adopted to select 400 maize farmers. Descriptive and econometric techniques were used to analyse the data. The maize farmers were knowledgeable about fall armyworm (FAW), and radio was their key source of information about FAW. Agricultural officers served as the most effective and preferred source of information about FAW. The outcomes obtained from the multivariate probit analysis reveal that the choice of communication intervention (thus, agricultural officers, radio, television and social media) is influenced by age, education, alternative livelihoods, access to credit, and cooperative society.1 Difficulty managing farms with poor planting distances2 was ranked as the greatest challenge in FAW management. The study highlights the need for maize farmers to consider indigenous communication interventions to supplement modern channels for effectively communicating and managing FAW infestations. Policymakers should prioritise the development of comprehensive communication strategies that integrate both modern and indigenous approaches to effectively disseminate information and enhance knowledge exchange among maize farmers in managing FAW outbreaks.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2023.2275862indigenous communicationmanagementplant clinicssmallholder farmersynthetic pesticides |
| spellingShingle | Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum Sebastian Kwabena Appiah Fred Ankuyi John-Eudes Andivi Bakang Justice Frimpong-Manso Padlass Patrick Edeafour Maxwell Toah Asiamah Maize farmers’ response to crisis: The case of fall armyworm infestation in Ejisu Municipality, Ghana Cogent Social Sciences indigenous communication management plant clinics smallholder farmer synthetic pesticides |
| title | Maize farmers’ response to crisis: The case of fall armyworm infestation in Ejisu Municipality, Ghana |
| title_full | Maize farmers’ response to crisis: The case of fall armyworm infestation in Ejisu Municipality, Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Maize farmers’ response to crisis: The case of fall armyworm infestation in Ejisu Municipality, Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Maize farmers’ response to crisis: The case of fall armyworm infestation in Ejisu Municipality, Ghana |
| title_short | Maize farmers’ response to crisis: The case of fall armyworm infestation in Ejisu Municipality, Ghana |
| title_sort | maize farmers response to crisis the case of fall armyworm infestation in ejisu municipality ghana |
| topic | indigenous communication management plant clinics smallholder farmer synthetic pesticides |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2023.2275862 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT enochkwamethamagyekum maizefarmersresponsetocrisisthecaseoffallarmyworminfestationinejisumunicipalityghana AT sebastiankwabenaappiah maizefarmersresponsetocrisisthecaseoffallarmyworminfestationinejisumunicipalityghana AT fredankuyi maizefarmersresponsetocrisisthecaseoffallarmyworminfestationinejisumunicipalityghana AT johneudesandivibakang maizefarmersresponsetocrisisthecaseoffallarmyworminfestationinejisumunicipalityghana AT justicefrimpongmanso maizefarmersresponsetocrisisthecaseoffallarmyworminfestationinejisumunicipalityghana AT padlasspatrickedeafour maizefarmersresponsetocrisisthecaseoffallarmyworminfestationinejisumunicipalityghana AT maxwelltoahasiamah maizefarmersresponsetocrisisthecaseoffallarmyworminfestationinejisumunicipalityghana |