Smallholder farmers' knowledge, perceptions and management of pea weevil in north and north-western Ethiopia

Pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum L.) is one of the most serious insect pests of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) in Ethiopia. A survey of 400 farmers was conducted in four main pea-growing districts in north and north-western Ethiopia. The objectives were to assess farmers' knowledge and perceptions of pea weevil, to examine their current pest management practices and to identify challenges to pea weevil control, so that participatory integrated pest management for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia can be developed. The results revealed that most (71%) of the farmers surveyed had knowledge about pea weevil and were able to identify damaged seeds based on common visible symptoms of weevil infestation. However, most farmers did not know that pea weevil attacks plants in the field, but rather considered it a storage pest. The results also showed that farmers' cultural practices influence the incidence and spread of pea weevil and that most farmers did not check seed for pea weevil symptoms before planting. Only a minority of farmers (19%) harvested peas early and some harvested late, unintentionally promoting infestation and carryover of weevils. In addition, most farmers (74%) were not aware of the source and means of weevil spread on their farm and some did not clean up fallen and shattered peas during harvesting and threshing. The majority (63%) of the farmers surveyed relied on chemical insecticides, namely actellic dust and phostoxin, to treat harvested peas in storage. However, the results revealed a knowledge gap in that farmers were well aware of the problem of pea weevil, but lacked knowledge of cultural practices affecting pea weevil and of problems in the use of pesticides. This highlights the need for farmer training and for development of participatory integrated pest management methods for pea weevil.