Factors affecting the adoption of botanical extracts as pesticides in cowpea production in northern Ghana

Abstract

Cowpea is an important crop among the farm households of northern Ghana. It provides a cheap source of plant protein and bridges a hunger gap that is known to exist between the time when most crops are planted and the time when major crops are harvested. However, the cultivation of cowpea is constrained by several factors, with pests and diseases being the most serious constraints. Some technologies have been transferred to farmers over the years to enable them cope with these production constraints. The use of synthetic pesticides in pest control raises concern for human health and environment safety. However, a long history of use of botanical extracts and herbs in African cultures is available for protecting crops and stored products, as well as for medicinal and veterinary purposes. In recent decades, the use of botanical extracts in pest control has received a lot of emphasis in research and development. This paper examined the factors influencing the adoption of botanical extracts as pesticides in cowpea production. Analysis of farm data showed that the socio-economic characteristics provided a more satisfactory explanation of the adoption pattern. Three principal but interrelated factors were of particular importance: the level of education of the household head and the size of one’s farm and access to labour were relatively important in influencing decision to adopt; besides, high labour requirement by farmers for preparing and applying the botanical extracts make the technology less attractive to farmers with larger farm sizes. Therefore, the results suggest that increased adoption of the technology can be fostered by targeting education toward farmers who have had some formal education, and with smaller farm sizes. Industrial production of botanical extracts, to reduce the drudgery of its production and use by individual farmers, could speed up adoption.