Farmers’ Perceptions and Knowledge of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, J.E. Smith) and Maize Yield Loss in Central Ethiopia

Abstract

Fall armyworm or Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is an invasive and highly adaptable pest insect that poses a significant threat to agriculture and food security in Africa. Although this pest is known to attack various crops, maize is particularly susceptible to its infestation. The purpose of this research was to determine how farmers who grow maize understand and perceive fall armyworm and to quantify the loss of maize grain yield caused by the pest in central Ethiopia. A semistructured questionnaire was administered to 180 purposively selected smallholder farmers with prior maize cultivation experience. The districts of central Ethiopia such as Abeshege, Cheha, Debub-Sodo, Goro, Meskan, and Kebena were the sites of the survey. The majority (83%) of farmers have noticed a rise in the severity of fall armyworm damage, which was connected to changes in the amount and distribution of rainfall following the planting of maize. Additionally, it is thought that early-planted maize was more susceptible to fall armyworm infestation than late-planted maize. In farmers’ opinion, 83.3% think the pest affects all types of maize cultivars similarly. They estimated maize yield reduction by 22.2% due to fall armyworm. Among the districts surveyed, there was a variation in the estimated yield loss. Nonetheless, no significant correlations existed among the predicted yield loss and the farmer’s perspectives and understanding, gender, age, or level of education. Despite the fact that few farmers apply insecticides, the majority (83%) did nothing to combat the insect. Farmers usually view fall armyworm as a challenging pest to control. Eighty-four percent of respondents cultivated maize monocrop; the rest intercropped it with Colocasia esculenta or Phaseolus vulgaris. Further research will be required to confirm whether maize planted early or late is susceptible to fall armyworm.