Integrating the Farmer into Pest Management Innovation for Sweetpotatoes.

Commodities

• Vegetables: sweet potatoes

Practices

• Crop Production: cover crops
• Education and Training: demonstration, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, technical assistance
• Pest Management: biofumigation, biological control, botanical pesticides, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management
• Production Systems: agroecosystems, organic agriculture
• Soil Management: green manures
• Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, quality of life, social psychological indicators

There is a growing interest among plant pathologists to explore and investigate the human dimensions of integrated pest management (IPM), including efforts to understand how farmers access information and how their attitudes, perceptions, and values influence their adoption of sustainable pest management strategies (Chellemi, 2002; Jabbour & Noy, 2017, 2020; McRoberts et al., 2011; Noy & Jabbour, 2020).

Building upon research considering the human dimensions of IPM, we propose conducting several case studies that model the translation of a pest control technique from research to practice.  Using a mixed-methods design of collaborative farm trials, we will examine the technical efficacy of sweetpotato pest management techniques while exploring farmers’ perceptions and values related to sustainable pest management.

Five participating farmers will be selected using convenience sampling from contacts of the researchers.  Each farmer will trial at least two promising biological pest management techniques.  Pest prevalence and damage will be recorded, and the farmers’ experiences and perceptions will be assessed through qualitative inquiry and analysis using semi-structured interviews, an activity log, unstructured field visits, and photovoice. 

Project outputs and outcomes will be disseminated through debriefing meetings, extension articles, guest lectures for a new-farmer training program, a presentation to farm advisor professionals, and a peer-reviewed journal article. Furthermore, the participating farmers will disseminate successful techniques through their peer networks.  Our team aims to advance the success of organic sweetpotato farmers and provide a model of “Integrating the farmer into pest management innovation” for future IPM projects to improve the well-being of organic farmers.

Research Objectives:

1. Demonstrate sweetpotato pest management using sustainable techniques including velvet bean preplant cover crop and indigenous Metarhizium species ‘Koo-002’ soil amendment.  

2. Identify the values and priorities that impact farmers’ decision making and judgment during the adoption of new sustainable pest control techniques.

3. Identify key practices and/or major obstacles for using velvet bean preplant cover crop and indigenous Metarhizium on the farm for control of sweetpotato pests.

Education Objectives:

1. Support early adopters of velvet bean cover crop and Metarhizium biocontrol for sweetpotato pest management. 
2. Disseminate best practices for implementation of velvet bean cover crop and Metarhizium biocontrol for sweetpotato pest management.
3. Disseminate strategies for research and extension that are aware of farmers’ priorities and values.