Farmers perception and knowledge in the management of major pests of rice in Sierra Leone

Pest infestation has been a major challenge for famers Sierra Leone, and this limited the production of rice thereby posing serious threat to food security issues in the country. Unfortunately, there is a limited study on farmers’ perception and knowledge on the identification and management of these pests. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess rice farmers’ perception and knowledge on the management of pests in Sierra Leone. The study was carried out in three major rice growing districts and employed a mixed-methods approach. The study targeted 300 farmers across three districts and data collected using structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Statistical packages for social science and both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. The findings revealed that middle aged farmers were the most dominant and played a critical role in rice production while there was limited engagement from the younger and older farmers posing serious concern about further production. There were more male farmers indicating gender disparities and thus emphasizing the need for women inclusion in farming activities. The findings also revealed that farmers relied heavily on traditional pest control methods such as manual pest removal and farm sanitation which are not effective and less scabble. There was a low adoption of integrated pest management among farmers and lack of capital was seen as the most dominate constraints faced by farmers. The findings observed regional differences in yield loss and pest management practices. This study therefore underscores the importance of education, training, and financial support in promoting IPM adoption and sustainable pest management.