Economic burden of tuta absoluta and potential demand of an integrated pest management strategy among tomato agripreneurs in Kenya and Uganda

Abstract

Tomatoes are important food and commercial crops to smallholder farmers in Kenya and Uganda. However, over the last five years, tomato productivity in both countries has been declining due to the attack of an invasive pest, tomato leaf miner (Tuta absoluta). The main management method of the pest is the use of synthetic pesticides. Pesticides are not only harmful to human beings and the environment but also lead to increased cost of production thus reducing profits and pest resistance. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technology is recommended as an alternative to the use of hazardous pesticides. The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in collaboration with development partners is seeking to introduce an IPM package for management of T uta absoluta in Africa. There is however little information on the knowledge, attitude, and practices in the management of the tomato leaf miner among the tomato farmers. The economic burden of the pest is also not clearly documented as well as the willingness to adopt the IPM strategy in the sustainable management of the pest. The study seeks to fill this gap. Two counties in Kenya (Kirinyaga and Kajiado) and two Districts in Uganda (Mbale and Masaka) were purposively selected and 661 tomato farmers were randomly selected. Descriptive analysis the knowledge attitude and practices of tomato farmers in Kenya and Uganda. Descriptive statistics were used to estimate the economic burden of the pest. While binary logit was used to estimate the exante demand of IPM strategy. The study findings indicate that T. absoluta is the major pest affecting tomato production, causing 2461.203 Kgs/ acre in losses per year while in Uganda average of 168.90 kg/acre loss annually. Most farmers use synthetic pesticides to manage it. A significant proportion of the survey respondents were willing to adopt the IPM strategy. The probability of adopting the strategy was positively related to a farmer being male, shorter distance to inputs, training, good knowledge, good attitude, and good practices towards non pesticides. The adoption of the IPM strategy by the farmers will improve the welfare of tomatoes farmers and will subsequently lead to the increase of income in the long run