The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a major insect pest which has a potential to inflict widespread damage across multiple crops since its arrival in Africa. This study assessed local farmers’ perception and associated alternative methods against the infestation of fall armyworm in maize fields in Northwest Benin. Data were collected through surveys with 180 randomly selected farmers. Results indicated that all interviewed farmers have knowledge of natural enemies especially predators to control the infestation of the fall armyworm. We noted that 99% of interviewed farmers associated the high insect pest occurrence with the extreme weather and climatic conditions and only 48.3% linked the high infestation degree with the density of maize yield. The use of chemical insecticides is the most applied method by all farmers to control the pest, though some of them (14.4%) valued alternative management practices based on their indigenous knowledge in the control of the fall armyworm. Additionally, the results showed positive learning outcomes from the workshops on alternative pest control management attended by the local farmers. Those workshops act as a catalyst in improving the knowledge on alternatives methods. This study provides a baseline in capitalizing local management practices deemed effective by farmers in reducing fall armyworm infestation.
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