Willingness to pay for an integrated pest management strategy for suppression of citrus infesting false codling moth, African citrus trioza and greening disease among citrus producers in Kenya

Abstract

Citrus production in Kenya has been declining due to myriad of challenges, top among them, being pest and disease infestations, with most severe ones noted to be the African citrus triozid (ACT) and false codling moth (FCM) pests and Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. In order to strengthen citrus industry in the sub-Saharan Africa, including in Kenya, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and its partners are proposing an alternative strategy for addressing these pests and diseases, other than the often-used application of synthetic chemicals. The integrated pest management (IPM) approach aims at reducing citrus losses attributed to FCM, ACT and greening disease while conserving the environment. This study was carried out ex ante introduction of the IPM strategy to access farmers’ knowledge, perception, and practices of the pests and disease, and their willingness to pay for the IPM strategy. A household level survey involving 324 randomly selected citrus producers in Machakos and Makueni Counties of Kenya was conducted using semi-structured questionnaires. The findings show that farmers used indigenous traditional practices, as well as synthetic pesticides to manage the three abiotic constraints, mainly using their own acquired knowledge on pest and disease control and a few consulting their neighbors. On average, the respondents were willingness to pay KES 7,766 for FCM and KES 10,639 for IPM package for ACT and greening disease per acre per season. Area of land under crop, knowledge, and practices of managing citrus pests and diseases and access to extension services had a significant effect on the willingness to pay for integrated pest management approach. Policy effort should focus on strengthening extension services to promote awareness and use of the IPM strategy