Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Tomato Leaf Miner, Tuta absoluta on Tomato and Potential Demand for Integrated Pest Management among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya and Uganda

Abstract

Agricultural growth and food security are a priority in many developing countries. This has led to increased attention to effective pest management. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy is a sustainable and recommended alternative to the use of synthetic pesticides in the management of tomato pests, with Tuta absoluta being the major one. This study seeks to assess the awareness, attitude, and control practices on T. absoluta and examine the potential adoption of a proposed IPM strategy for the management of a pest using a randomly selected sample of 316 and 345 tomato growing households in Kenya and Uganda, respectively. The study findings indicate that T. absoluta is the major pest affecting tomato production, with most farmers using synthetic pesticides to manage it. Furthermore, we find a significant proportion of the survey respondents willing to adopt the IPM strategy. The probability of adopting the strategy was positively related to a farmer being male, residing near a source of inputs, accessing training, and possessing good knowledge, attitude, and practices towards the use of non-pesticides strategies. Thus, training, promotion, and awareness creation of the T. absoluta IPM are recommended for the sustainable management of the pest in tomato production.