Extent and Determinants of Adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Practices among Farmers in Chümoukedima District of Nagaland, India

Abstract

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an environmentally oriented approach that combines cultural, mechanical, biological and need-based chemical methods to manage pest populations while reducing excessive dependence on synthetic pesticides. The present study was conducted in Dhansiripar block of Chümoukedima district, Nagaland, to assess the extent of adoption of recommended IPM practices among farmers and to identify selected factors associated with adoption behaviour. Five villages, namely Urra, Bade, Doyapur, Amaluma and Kiyeto, were selected for the study. A total of 100 farmers were selected, with 20 respondents from each village. Primary data were collected through personal interviews using a pre-tested structured schedule and secondary information was obtained from relevant publications and official sources. The data were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and correlation analysis. The findings showed that the majority of respondents had a medium level of adoption of recommended IPM practices (78.00%), followed by high adoption (16.00%) and low adoption (6.00%). Cultural and mechanical practices such as summer ploughing, timely sowing, weed removal, handpicking and destruction of insects and sieving and winnowing of grains were widely adopted. In contrast, adoption of recommended seed rate, plant spacing, water management, pheromone traps, cold storage, bio-control agents and botanical pesticides was low or absent among most respondents. Correlation analysis indicated that education, occupation, material possession and risk orientation were positively associated with adoption, while age showed a negative association; however, these relationships are associational in nature and do not establish causation. The findings suggest that targeted investments in farmer training, extension outreach and improved availability of IPM inputs may contribute to higher adoption levels, and offer a basis for designing evidence-informed pest management interventions suited to the agrarian context of Nagaland.