TY - BOOK
T1 - Perceptions of pest risk and differences in IPM uptake by arable farmers and agronomists in Scotland
AU - Creissen, Henry E.
AU - Meador, JE
N1 - Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, modified or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written permission of PHC management. While every effort is made to ensure that the information given here is accurate, no legal responsibility is accepted for any errors, omissions or misleading statements. All statements, views and opinions expressed in this paper are attributable to the author(s) who contribute to the activities of the PHC and do not necessarily represent those of the host institutions or funders.
PY - 2022/11/16
Y1 - 2022/11/16
N2 - Pesticide use remains an important tool in managing pest, weed and disease risks to crops and maintaining profitable production. There are several drivers for reducing reliance on pesticides and promoting the uptake of more sustainable practices through integrated pest management (IPM). By identifying IPM information networks it may be possible to improve the flow of information to farmers by targeting their preferred information sources. Better informed farmers and agronomists can make better IPM decisions. Therefore, this project undertook a telephone survey of 267 arable and mixed arable/livestock farmers and 26 agronomists to collect information on currently perceived invertebrate pest and disease threats in Scotland, the level of IPM uptake, and the information sources they relied upon. Some of the key findings include:The agronomist group/company had the biggest influence on farmers IPM score.Many other factors were found to influence IPM uptake including farmer age, location and size of enterprise.Agronomists and farmers acquire IPM knowledge from a range of information sources the most popular being their peers, research organisations, farming press, levy boards and professional memberships.The biggest barrier to further IPM uptake was 'time and effort required to increase knowledge of IPM’ for farmers.The research also identified a number of ways in which information flows could be improved to increase IPM uptake including developing a knowledge transfer and exchange strategy for both farmers and agronomists that utilises the most effective outlets such as farming press, levy boards, research organisations and professional memberships. Please see the full report and associated policy summary to read all the outcomes and recommendations from this project.
AB - Pesticide use remains an important tool in managing pest, weed and disease risks to crops and maintaining profitable production. There are several drivers for reducing reliance on pesticides and promoting the uptake of more sustainable practices through integrated pest management (IPM). By identifying IPM information networks it may be possible to improve the flow of information to farmers by targeting their preferred information sources. Better informed farmers and agronomists can make better IPM decisions. Therefore, this project undertook a telephone survey of 267 arable and mixed arable/livestock farmers and 26 agronomists to collect information on currently perceived invertebrate pest and disease threats in Scotland, the level of IPM uptake, and the information sources they relied upon. Some of the key findings include:The agronomist group/company had the biggest influence on farmers IPM score.Many other factors were found to influence IPM uptake including farmer age, location and size of enterprise.Agronomists and farmers acquire IPM knowledge from a range of information sources the most popular being their peers, research organisations, farming press, levy boards and professional memberships.The biggest barrier to further IPM uptake was 'time and effort required to increase knowledge of IPM’ for farmers.The research also identified a number of ways in which information flows could be improved to increase IPM uptake including developing a knowledge transfer and exchange strategy for both farmers and agronomists that utilises the most effective outlets such as farming press, levy boards, research organisations and professional memberships. Please see the full report and associated policy summary to read all the outcomes and recommendations from this project.
KW - IPM
KW - arable farmers
KW - agronomists
KW - enablers of change
U2 - 10.5281/zenodo.7330343
DO - 10.5281/zenodo.7330343
M3 - Commissioned report
BT - Perceptions of pest risk and differences in IPM uptake by arable farmers and agronomists in Scotland
ER -