- Version
- Download 0
- File Size 1.13 MB
- File Count 1
- Create Date January 20, 2024
- Last Updated April 29, 2024
Assessment of farmers’ perception of pest rodents, crop damage, and rodent pests management strategies around Alemsaga Priority State Forest, Ethiopia
Rodents are perceived by farmers as the main pests in crop fields and storage. This study was conducted adjacent to Alemsaga Priority State Forest from 2020-2021 to identify farmers’ perceptions on rodent pest, crop damage, and management strategies. Questionnaire survey and focus group discussions were used as data collection tools to assess farmers’ perceptions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and responses compared by Chi-square test to check variation in the perception of farmers on pest rodents. Most of the respondents (89%) have negative attitudes towards rodents. Statistical significant variation was observed between the attitudes of farmers toward rodents (χ2=234.375, df=1, p<0.05). Teff, barley, wheat, maize, pea, bean, potato, and small millet are the common crop types grown in the study area. Most of the farmers (68.2%) claimed that rodents occur in high abundance. However, 27.1% of the respondents claimed that the number of pest rodents can increase or decrease depending on the strength and duration of the rainy seasons. Vegetation cover, stone bund density, extended rainy seasons, and preventing livestock from farmlands after harvesting are responsible for the rodents’ population increase in the study area. Most of the respondents (72.4%) replied that crop damage by rodents is minimum. However, the responses of farmers on the level of crop damage showed significant differences (χ2= 269.1, df= 2, p < 0.05). The respondents described that crop damage was maximum at the maturity stage followed by the booting stage Farmers used different management strategies including field sanitation, chemicals, trapping, plowing and fencing to control rodent pests. Agricultural agents should advise farmers to use appropriate and cost effective control methods to manager rodent pest.
