Promoting participatory technology development approach in integrated crop protection among tomato farmers in Anyima in the Kintampo district of Brong Ahafo region, Ghana

Abstract

The Ghanaian public and government have come to realise that the use of chemical pesticides by vegetable farmers to control pests and diseases in the country is increasing and if agricultural production is to be sustainable and safe to humans and the environment, then intensive farming systems should become less dependent on chemical pesticides. The topdown approach characterizes most of the interventions that have attempted to address this production constraint of vegetable farmers in Ghana. The farmers have not been fully involved in the process of developing technological options which can help produce healthy vegetables at the same time sustaining the environment. The research was a collaboration between the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension of the University of Cape Coast and GTZ/Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) Project. It was an Action Research, which experimented on Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) strategies using participatory approaches among farmers in Anyima in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The concern is that agriculture is becoming more and more complex and any intervention aimed at assisting farmers to manage crops efficiently must be holistic in nature. It should integrate the major cultural practices of farmers. Vegetable farmers in Anyima are aware of the practices of ICP but their knowledge and skills in the practice are limited. The farmers accepted the Participatory Technology Development (PTD) and ICP concept introduced by GTZ/MOFA Project and are prepared to continue. However, they will need regular assistance from agricultural extension agents in learning the basic principles underlying PTD and ICP. The vegetable farmers came to the conclusion that ‘neem leaf extract’ can be used alongside the chemical pesticides in controlling destructive caterpillars on tomato farms. Evaluation of farmers’ responses to PTD in ICP indicated that the process facilitates group work, encourages the use of local resources, reduces the over-dependence on chemical pesticides and gives farmers the skills to research into their production problems