Factors affecting IPM adoption in Central Himalaya, Nepal: an explanatory sequential approach

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) offers a promising alternative to conventional pesticide use; however, its adoption remains limited. This study focuses on seven IPM practices and identifies factors influencing adoption among IPM-farmer field schools (FFS) farmers, using an explanatory sequential approach. We interviewed 109 IPM-FFS farmers and used probit regression to identify influencing factors. It was subsequently followed by qualitative insights from four key informant interviews and six focus group discussions. Results showed that 35% of FFS farmers had adopted none of the seven IPM practices. Farm income (p < 0.01), household food sufficiency (p < 0.05), IPM knowledge (p < 0.05), and perceived IPM benefits (p < 0.01) tend to increase the adoption of IPM practices, whereas crop diversification tends to decrease their adoption (p < 0.05). Qualitative insights observed higher level of awareness of IPM practices among FFS farmers, however, a persistent ethnic and gender disparities existed in access to IPM-FFS training. IPM benefits were uniformly perceived across all social groups. FFS farmers’ concerns on their health and ecological degradation motivated them for adoption.