Study title

Urban and peri-urban (UPU) horticulture provides an increasingly important source of income in many African countries. A major factor driving the importance of UPU gardening is an increasing marketing opportunity for a growing population of unemployed and unskilled youths in the cities. However, the potential of UPU gardening is severely undermined by a number of production constraints. Recent field diagnoses in southern Benin identified severe pest problems and revealed alarming pesticide practises in th e UPU areas. We estimate that many of the major pest problems are direct consequences of pesticide abuse that 1) destroys indigenous biodiversity required for natural/biological pest control, 2) causes pesticide resistance and pest resurgence and 3) poses personal and environmental hazards. The project aims to generate new knowledge through basic and applied research on emerging vegetable IPM problems, and to develop IPM options against key insect pests. Insecticide misuse due to ignorance of the health hazards/pollution problems will be targeted, and viable alternatives (biological control agents & bio-pesticides) will be developed with the farmers. Basic research on biology/ecology/population dynamics of pests and associated natural enemies to support the applied research will be a major activity. Primary beneficiaries are small-scale farmers in Benin, however pests targeted are of global economic and environmental importance. We believe that the strength of the proposed project is the way it combines n atural and social sciences. To ensure sustainable use of the interventions developed, we have taken into account that the nature of IPM technology is both a technical and a social process. Through participatory technology a joint farmer-researcher implementation agenda based on agreed farmer concerns will lead to credible farmer experimentation to validate plant production and plant protection technologies.