Browsing by Author "Van Huis, A."
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Item Assessing the effectiveness of a local agricultural research committee in diffusing sustainable cocoa production practices: The case of capsid control in Ghana(International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2007-01) Ayenor, G.K.; Röling, N.; Van Huis, A.; Padi, B.; Obeng-Ofori, D.The conventional method of ‘delivering’ technologies recommended by researchers to farmers through extension has proved ineffective, resulting in a persistent low (3.5% over ten years) adoption of research-based cocoa technologies. The present study was conducted in the Eastern Region of Ghana and assessed the impact of the Local Agricultural Research Committee (LARC) approach on the diffusion of capsid management knowledge and practices, developed with the LARC, to others in the community. Capsids (Sahlbergella singularis and Distantiella theobroma) were diagnosed as the most serious production constraint. LARC members engaged in intensive interactive learning and experimentation to control them. The interactive approach developed by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture was used to link the LARC with community farmers, a majority of whom aspired to produce organic cocoa for a premium. The LARC acquired vital agro-ecological knowledge on capsid management, including skills in scouting for capsids to determine their temporal distribution and systematic experimentation with control methods, before presenting its results to the community. This article reports on a survey comparing three categories of farmers: LARC members, exposed and non-exposed community farmers, so as to assess the diffusion and impact of LARC knowledge co-production. The results show that the LARC approach significantly influenced acquisition and diffusion of knowledge and practices. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Can convergence of agricultural sciences support innovation by resource-poor farmers in Africa? The cases of Benin and Ghana(International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2007-01) Van Huis, A.; Jiggins, J.; Kossou, D.; Leeuwis, C.; Röling, N.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Struik, P.C.; Tossou, R.C.The article introduces the IJAS special issue on the Convergence of Sciences (CoS) research programme that took place in Benin and Ghana between 2002 and 2006. CoS sought to develop pro-poor pathways of science. Starting initially from the assumption that science impact could be improved by developing farm technologies that are appropriate for the circumstances of resource-poor farmers, the nine researchers soon ran into the very limited windows of opportunity that the farmers face. Improving productivity at the farm level is thwarted by limited access to markets, infrastructure, inputs, credit and services, and by cheap imports. Farmers have no political clout, and agriculture is a source of rent for a host of actors including local and national governments. In these conditions, poverty reduction requires institutional change rather than participatory technology development. All nine researchers tried in their own way to deal with the institutional dimension. This special issue reports on these attempts. The introductory article provides background and context for understanding the institutional issues involved. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Causes of low productivity of cocoa in Ghana: Farmers' perspectives and insights from research and the socio-political establishment(NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 2004-12) Dormon, E.N.A.; Van Huis, A.; Leeuwis, C.; Obeng-Ofori, D.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.Ghana is a major producer of cocoa in the world and relies heavily on the crop for foreign exchange revenue. However, production declined since the mid-1960s, reaching its lowest level in 1983, Although production has increased consistently since the mid-1980s, it still is less than the level attained in the mid-1960s. The decline is partly a result of decreasing areas under cultivation. Another problem in cocoa production in Ghana is low yields per ha, which is attributed to the incidence of pests and diseases, a low producer price, and non-adoption of research recommendations. Based on the idea that current research and extension messages might insufficiently address farmers' actual problems and context, a diagnostic study was carried out to better understand farmers' views on the problems of cocoa production. The study was conducted in three villages in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coalter District, Eastern Region, Ghana. An action research approach was followed to gather and analyse qualitative data with the objective of stimulating collective action in subsequent research activities with the farmers. Low productivity was identified as the main problem and the causes were classified into biological and socio-economic factors. The biological factors include the incidence of pests and diseases, most of which have received extensive research attention in Ghana, and of epiphytes, which have been neglected. The socio-economic causes were indirect and include the low producer price and the lack of amenities like electricity, which leads to migration, with as a result labour shortages and high labour costs. From the study it can be concluded that the biological and socio-economic causes of low productivity are inter-related in such a manner that tackling them separately will not overcome the problem unless the socio-technical nature of the causes are recognized and tackled in a holistic way. In this context, current interventions by research and extension seem to ignore important aspects of the problematic situation. Although the study shows the relevance of using a diagnostic approach, it is argued that outcomes may be affected by various contextual factors, including stakeholder selection and the relationship between the researcher and the participants. Hence, the outcomes of a diagnostic study should be approached with care.Item The cocoa mirid (Hemiptera: Miridae) problem: Evidence to support new recommendations on the timing of insecticide application on cocoa in Ghana(International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 2014) Adu-Acheampong, R.; Jiggins, J.; Van Huis, A.; Cudjoe, A.R.; Johnson, V.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Ofori-Frimpong, K.; Osei-Fosu, P.; Tei-Quartey, E.; Jonfia-Essien, W.; Owusu-Manu, M.; Nana Karikari Addo, M.S.; Afari-Mintah, C.; Amuzu, M.; Nyarko Eku-X, N.; Quarshie, E.T.N.The government's cocoa spraying gangs in Ghana treat about two million hectares of the crop against black pod disease and mirids, the key insect pests of cocoa in West Africa, each August through to December, based on recommendations issued in the 1950s. A few cocoa farmers use additional pesticides. We studied the temporal distribution of two important mirid species, Distantiella theobroma (Dist.) and Sahlbergella singularis Hagl., in 1991, 1999, 2003 and 2012 to determine the appropriate timing for the application of control measures in current farming systems. There was a significant correlation between mirid abundance and pod availability on trees, as well as the number of basal shoots and the cocoa variety grown. Mirid populations peaked between January and April and from September to October. Surveys (interviews and focus group discussions involving over 300 farmers in 33 cocoa-growing districts) on pesticide use, sources of recommendations, and perceived successes and failures of current cocoa pest treatments suggested that the 1950 recommendations on the timing of insecticide application need revising. Copyright © ICIPE 2014.Item Converging farmers' and scientists' perspectives on researchable constraints on organic cocoa production in Ghana: Results of a diagnostic study(NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 2004-12) Ayenor, G.K.; Röling, N.G.; Padi, B.; Van Huis, A.; Obeng-Ofori, D.; Atengdem, P.B.A diagnostic study was conducted to identify the major constraints on organic cocoa production at Brong-Densuso and surrounding communities in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District, Eastern Region, Ghana. The study followed a technographic study that highlighted cocoa as a public crop requiring broad techno-social innovations, In the technographic study, problems identified included low yields, persistent pest management constraints and a low adoption rate of technologies developed by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana. The diagnostic study adopted a Participatory Learning and Action Research approach to set up and implement fieldwork with relevant stakeholders leading to problem identification, prioritization, and collective design of an action plan (research agenda). Cocoa farmers within the study area are conscious of the environmental problems associated with the use of inorganic pesticides and the high cost of using them. Hence, they produce cocoa without applying any pesticides. Quite recently, however, their association with an organic marketing company led to a search for non-chemical pest and disease control measures and for ways to certify their cocoa beans as organic. A misconception as to what species of cocoa pests constitute 'capsids' was settled between farmers and scientists using a cage experiment on capsid damage. The farmers became convinced that the Cocoa Mosquito (Helopeltis spp.) (Hemiptera: Miridae), which they had previously considered an important pest, was a capsid species that caused little or no damage to the beans inside the pods. After this clarification, damage caused by the Brown Capsid (Sahlbergella singularis; Hemiptera: Miridae) and the Black Capsid (Distantiella theobroma; Hemiptera: Miridae) emerged as the most serious production constraint, followed by Black Pod disease (caused by Phytophtora palmivora). The malfunctioning of tenure agreements and the mistrust between landlords, who are mainly absentee farmers, and their caretaker cocoa farmers pose a serious threat to pest management innovations, especially where pruning to control Black Pod disease and uprooting trees infected with Swollen Shoot disease are concerned. The key stakeholders involved in the study agreed on three innovative (organic) capsid control methods for further research: the use of sex pheromone traps, crude aqueous neem (Azadirachta indica) seed extracts, and the use of ant (Oecophylla longinoda) colonies as biological control agents, the latter being proposed by farmers, The paper reflects on the diagnostic study as a continuous process in response to a continually changing context even beyond the end of the diagnostic research phase.Item Diagnosing the scope for innovation: Linking smallholder practices and institutional context: Introduction to the special issue(NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 2012-12) Röling, N.; Hounkonnou, D.; Kossou, D.; Kuyper, T.W.; Nederlof, S.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Traoré, M.; Van Huis, A.The article introduces the diagnostic studies reported in this special issue and prepares the reader for understanding their full portent, not only as stand-alone articles but also as an expression of a research programme with a common purpose and scientific objective. As such, the article introduces the focus of the CoS-SIS programme on the nexus between farmer practices and institutional context, and primes the reader on the special challenges posed by diagnosis of this nexus. The diagnostic studies scoped the landscape and the regime but mainly as these might impact the niche. What is reported is 'the view from the niche'. The article explains the structure of the research programme and the role of the PhD researchers in it. It further describes a number of methodological issues common to all. © 2012 Royal Netherlands Society for Agricultural Sciences.Item Facilitating the use of alternative capsid control methods towards sustainable production of organic cocoa in Ghana(International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 2007-06) Ayenor, G.K.; Van Huis, A.; Obeng-Ofori, D.; Padi, B.; Röling, N.G.Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important foreign exchange earner for Ghana. However, production is constrained by a high incidence of pests and diseases. Based on farmers' needs, this study focused on the control of capsids, mainly Sahlbergella singularis Haglund and Distantiella theobroma (Distant) (both Hemiptera: Miridae). Annual crop loss caused by capsids is estimated at 25-30%. To control capsids, formal research recommends application of synthetic insecticides four times between August and December. However, farmers hardly adopt this recommendation, which they consider unsuitable for their conditions and context. Three alternative control methods were tested with farmers: mass trapping, using sex pheromones; applying crude aqueous neem Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae) seed extract (ANSE) and using the predatory ant Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as a biological control agent. Contrary to most previous reports, studies on temporal distribution of cocoa capsids indicated that the population peaked in March. ANSE was effective against capsids and other cocoa insect pests and did not affect the predatory ant. When O. longinoda occurred in high numbers, capsid incidence was low. Shade did not influence ant or capsid abundance significantly. ANSE caused 100% mortality of capsids in cage and 79-88% in field experiments. The sex pheromone was as effective as ANSE or ants in suppressing capsids. All the three methods were effective and compatible; hence, they can be used in an integrated pest management strategy for cocoa, including organic production in Ghana. © 2007 ICIPE.Item Linking science and farmers' innovative capacity: Diagnostic studies from Ghana and Benin(NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 2004-12) Röling, N.G.; Hounkonnou, D.; Offel, S.K.; Tossou, R.; Van Huis, A.The article is an introduction to a series of articles about diagnostic studies carried out by eight PhD students in Ghana and Benin. These studies form a prelude to their experimental action research with groups of farmers to develop technologies that work in local conditions and are acceptable to farmers. A last article reports on a comparison of these eight studies by the ninth PhD student in the Convergence of Sciences (CoS) project. In this introductory article, it is argued that the need to ground agricultural research in the needs and circumstances of farmers is as strong as the need to ground research in the international scientific discourse. It explores the reasons why the West African context requires careful diagnostic studies to be able to design agricultural research that is of any use. It introduces pre-analytical choice as an overriding concept to explain why choices that reduce the degrees of freedom have to be made explicitly on the basis of criteria. Such criteria are suggested for the quality of pre-analytical choices, and the paper ends by examining the way the CoS project made some of its choices.