Do Farmers and the Environment Benefit from Adopting Integrated Pest Management Practices? Evidence from Kenya

Abstract

We estimate the impacts of a bundle of integrated pest management (IPM) practices on mango yield, mango net income, insecticide use, human health and the environment, using recent household survey data of mango growers in Kenya. We employ a multinomial endogenous switching treatment regression model with an ordered probit selection rule to establish counterfactual outcomes. Our results indicate that IPM-adopting farmers have higher mango yields and mango net income, and also use lower quantities of insecticide and cause less damage to the environment and to human health. In addition, switching from one IPM to multiple IPM practices generates greater economic, environmental and human health benefits. These results suggest intensification of IPM-adoption efforts and encouragement of the use of multiple IPM practices. These positive outcomes could be achieved through greater provision of technical support and extension services to farmers.

Integrated Health Interventions for Improved Livelihoods: A Case Study in Ethiopia

“…The results clearly show that more significant benefits can be generated by exploiting the potential synergies that exist between and among the different interventions, because the additional annual income due to the integration of the combined interventions was 35% (368 USD per capita per year), higher than the sum of the income gains from each intervention (see Figure 7). These results are in agreement with the existing literature, which found higher and more significant positive effects with the integration of technologies compared to individual interventions [7,8,12,14,46,49]. For instance, the authors of [49] found that mango productivity and the income of farmers increase substantially (6%-95% for mango productivity and 9%-137% for mango income) as the number of integrated pest management strategies in the same plot increases.…”

“…These results are in agreement with the existing literature, which found higher and more significant positive effects with the integration of technologies compared to individual interventions [7,8,12,14,46,49]. For instance, the authors of [49] found that mango productivity and the income of farmers increase substantially (6%-95% for mango productivity and 9%-137% for mango income) as the number of integrated pest management strategies in the same plot increases. Evidence from Ethiopia shows that the adoption of three crop technologies or practices (cropping system diversification, conservation tillage, and improved maize varieties) increases net maize income by 137%, as compared to the adoption of a single technology or practice [46].…”

“…As smallholders, for whom agriculture forms the basis of their livelihoods, have a limited ability to cope with risks, any shock that reduces agricultural productivity can have significant impacts on their wellbeing [4][5][6][7][8]. However, managing agricultural contribute to the mixed findings of previous studies on the economic gains of multiple non-health interventions in various contexts [12,14,[46][47][48][49][50][51][52]. The empirical results support the argument in favor of multiple interventions.…”

Biopesticide Research and Product Development in Africa for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security – Experiences From the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)

“…Application of a biopesticide (M. anisopliae strain ICIPE 69) in combination with parasitoid release and orchard sanitation yielded the most impact, illustrating that biopesticides are preferentially combined within a well-tailored IPM package to ensure maximal benefit for smallholder farmers. A follow-up study in Kenya between 2016 and 2018 demonstrated that the use of such an IPM package increases mango farmers' net income by 9-137%, decreased insecticide use by 64-89% and impacted positively on food security (Midingoyi et al, 2019;Nyangau et al, 2020). Further, the use of IPM, including biopesticides, generates positive effects on human health and the environment by reducing the environmental impact quotient (EIQ) by 9-40% (Midingoyi et al, 2019;Mwungu et al, 2020).…”

Cunicultura E Maximização Da Renda Integrada Da Propriedade Rural

“…Avaliando os benefícios da implementação de práticas integradas de manejo de pragas, é possível indicar que os agricultores que adotam a MIP, obtêm maiores rendimentos da cultura e renda líquida, e também usam menores quantidades de inseticidas e causam menos danos ao meio ambiente e à saúde humana (Midingoyi, 2018).…”