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Pest Management Systems of Smallholder Farmers in Mature Cacao Areas in North Sumatra, Indonesia
Thesis Abstract:
A study was conducted at Deli Serdang, Asahan and Simalungun districts in North Sumatra with the following objectives: (1) to know the current pest management systems in mature cacao areas as practiced by IPM trained and untrained smallholder farmers in addressing pests, diseases, weeds, and vertebrate pests in the crop; (2) to compare the degree of implementation of the different components of these pests management systems by the two farmer groups; and (3) to assess the effectiveness of the different control components and determine some of their effects on selected non-target organisms.
There were eight major pests encountered by the farmers, comprising of sapsucking bug (Helopeltis antonii Sign.), cacao pod borer (Conopomorpha cramerella Snell), red branch borer (Zuzera coffeae Nietn.), pod rot disease [Phytophthora palmivora (Bult) Butler], pink disease [Corticium salmonicolor (Berk. & Br.) Sacc.], white root disease (Rigidoporus lignosus Klotzsch), squirrels, and weeds composed of grasses, broadleaves, sedges and ferns.
The pest problems were most serious in the farms of the IPM-untrained than the trained cacao smallholder farmers. Heavy infection/infestation of the eight major pests occurred in the former than in the latter farms, while light infection/infestation of seven major pests except weeds was observed in the farms of both farmer groups.
IPM-trained and untrained farmers utilized eight components pest control approaches, namely: (1) shade tree management; (2) pruning of cacao trees; (3) fertilization; (4) frequent, regular, and early harvesting of pods; (5) infected fruits and husks management; (6) farm sanitation and chemical weed control; (7) biological control; and (8) judicious use of pesticide. However, the two farmer groups varied in the degree of implementation of each component pest control approach.
All farmer respondents highly utilized shade trees such as coconut, durian or their combination for pest management. Seventy percent of the trained farmers practiced pruning cacao tree (topping plus light pruning), while only 33 percent of the untrained farmers used the same. Ninety to 97 percent of the farmers applied fertilizer, 53 percent of the trained farmers used combination of inorganic and organic fertilizer, and only 10 percent did this for the untrained farmers. Eight percent of the untrained farmers used inorganic fertilizer while only 37 percent of the trained farmers used the same. Both farmer groups practiced frequent, regular, and early harvesting of pods. IPM-trained farmers made more effective use of infected fruit and husk management, farm sanitation and weeding, and use of biological control. Ninety-three percent of the untrained farmers used pesticides while only 63 percent of the trained farmers used the same. Farmers from both groups used more herbicides than insecticides.
The percentage of trained farmers who indicated that the pest management system they adopted was effective against the particular target pests was: 77% (sap-sucking bug), 75% (cacao pod borer), 83% (red branch borer), 94% (weeds), 71% (pod rot and pink diseases), 54% (white root disease) and 21% (squirrels). The correspondingassessment of effectiveness on target pests by the untrained farmers was: 33% (sapsucking bug), 38% (cacao pod borer), 23% (red branch borer), 24% (pod rot disease), 55% (pink disease), 37.5% (white root disease), 87.5% (weeds), and 3% (squirrels).
Most of the farmer respondents did not smoke while spraying pesticides; took a bath after spraying, and did not eat; drink or smoke before washing hands after spraying. However, more than 50 percent did not use protective clothing, consumed fruits and vegetables from the cacao farms, and were not aware of proper disposal of toxic chemicals.
Most of the farmers indicated the presence of livestock (chicken) and various kinds of wildlife in their respective farms, including lizards, snakes, rats, birds, frogs and squirrels, while aquatic organisms were predominated by frog and small fishes. The kind and amount of pesticides applied by the farmers appeared to have not adversely affected domestic livestock and wildlife in cacao farm ecosystems.
The average cacao yield of the trained farmers (914 kg/ha) was significantly higher compared with the untrained farmers (726 kg/ha). This may be due to the more serious pest problems in the farms of untrained farmers, and the more effective use of combination and compatible component control approaches in the farms of the trained ones.