Effects of Socio-Economic Characteristics on Choice of<i> Tuta Absoluta</i> Management Methods in Tomato Production in Mwea, Kirinyaga County

The study assessed the effect of socio-economic characteristics on the management methods of <i>T. absoluta</i> in Mwea, Kirinyaga County. The target population was 2300 open fields and 20 green-house tomato farmers in Mwea. A descriptive research design was used in the study, and a multistage sampling procedure was used to get a sample of 303 respondents. Through a survey, 283 open-field tomato small-scale farmers were randomly interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. Socio-economic and crop protection data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric modeling. The multivariate probit model estimates showed that gender, education, age, land size, household income, and extension significantly affected farmers' choice of pest control methods to manage <i>T. absoluta</i>. The negative coefficients showed that an increase in either one of the socio-economic factors would help increase tomato yields reduced by <i>T. absoluta</i>. The study results encourage small-scale tomato farmers to use other pest management methods, such as crop rotation and weeding, so as not to rely on chemical pesticides alone to control <i>T. absoluta</i>. To learn more about tomato pest management practices, Tomato small-scale farmers should join farmers' groups and organizations. National and County policymakers should adopt policies to encourage integrated pest management methods to avoid excess chemical pesticides in tomato production.