Understanding biosecurity: knowledge, attitudes and practices of seaweed farmers in the Philippines

Abstract

Farmers are one of the most important components of any plant-based cultivation industry. The Philippines is one of the world’s major producers of red carrageenophyte algae and has tens of thousands of farmers involved in this industry. The production of algae such as Kappaphycus and Eucheuma increased significantly from the early 1970s, when the industry was established, before declining from the mid-2000s, due to a number of reasons, including disease and epiphyte outbreaks. The introduction of biosecurity measures has been one approach used to tackle this decline. Biosecurity-related knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of the seaweed farmers were assessed in the four highest seaweed producing regions in the Philippines: (1) Tawi-Tawi, (2) Palawan, (3) Zamboanga and (4) Bohol. Analyses showed that seaweed farmers from Tawi-Tawi had relatively higher KAP mean scores than the other three sites. Palawan and Bohol farmers, however, scored lower on their knowledge, higher on their attitude and highest on their practices compared with the other areas. Farmers from Zamboanga scored the lowest in both their attitude and practice mean scores, although their knowledge score was one of the highest. This is the first KAP assessment applied to the seaweed farming industry globally and the results, in which the farmers’ biosecurity-related knowledge and practices, which scored “Fair” (50–75%) across all the regions, and their attitudes, which scored predominantly “Good” (> 75%) suggest that there is potential to raise the score for biosecurity practices. This assessment highlights how biosecurity challenges are currently addressed by seaweed farmers in the Philippines and suggests how the KAP survey could be used as a tool by policymakers and scientists to address gaps in biosecurity management practices.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Hypertensive Patients Towards Stroke Prevention Among Rural Population in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The total mean scores of all the respondents’ KAP were calculated. According to the scoring method, the researchers categorized the total mean scores into three quartiles based on a scale of 100% to identify the level of KAP and interpreted them as follows: good (>75%–100%), moderate (50%–75%) and poor (<50%) ( AL-Rawajfah et al, 2021 ; Jalal et al, 2021 ; Karami et al, 2017 ; Mateo et al, 2021 ; Rajbhandari et al, 2018 ).…”

A Synoptic Review of Plant Disease Epidemics and Outbreaks Published in 2021

“…One of the bacteria implicated in the condition, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, is also a human pathogen. A survey (knowledge-attitudes-practices, KAP) of seaweed farmers in the Philippines on biosecurity practices for pests and diseases showed "fair" ratings for knowledge and practices and "good" for attitudes (Mateo et al, 2021). It was concluded that biosecurity measures could be improved by addressing gaps and appropriate action taken.…”

“…Core article: Mateo et al 2021 The Philippines is a major producer of farmed seaweed, the red algae Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum, with many thousands of farmers involved in cultivation, used for the production of carrageenans, which are used as thickening and gelling agents in the food industry. 'Ice-ice' (IID) is a disease condition that arises when seaweed is placed under stress from environmental changes of salinity, temperature, and light intensity and is attacked by a range of bacterial species leading to a characteristic whitening and hardening of seaweed tissues.…”

A new Progressive Management Pathway for improving seaweed biosecurity

“…This will be irrespective of the type of operation, the size of the farm or the seaweed species produced. The biosecurity scheme will be based on existing knowledge, attitudes and practices of the farm owners and stakeholders (e.g., buyers, processors and distributors), captured using standardized interview techniques, which we have successfully trialed with over 350 seaweed farmers in the Philippines 21 , Malaysia 22 and Tanzania 23 .…”

“…This will be irrespective of the type of operation, the size of the farm or the seaweed species produced. The biosecurity scheme will be based on existing knowledge, attitudes and practices of the farm owners and stakeholders (e.g., buyers, processors and distributors), captured using standardized interview techniques, which we have successfully trialed with over 350 seaweed farmers in the Philippines 21 , Malaysia 22 and Tanzania 23 . The information gained from these interviews, for example the common practice of unintentionally transferring infected seedlings between neighboring farms and the unequal access of women and men to training, will enable the taskforce to identify the critical risk points along the supply chain 8 and to carry out an informed risk-based analysis 9 , that is inclusive of all stakeholders 24 .…”