Sustainable alternatives and best management practices for agrochemical use in Rivers Niger and Kaduna catchments: Farmer perspectives and feasibility assessment

Abstract

Reducing dependence on synthetic agrochemicals whilst maintaining agricultural productivity requires the identification and promotion of locally appropriate alternatives suited to the knowledge, resources and priorities of smallholder farmers. This study assessed the feasibility of sustainable alternatives to synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use in parts of the Rivers Niger and Kaduna catchments, north-central Nigeria. Twenty-four farmer focus groups and a household survey of 350 respondents documented existing sustainable practices, adoption interest and perceived barriers for six alternative approaches. Sixty-eight per cent of farmers expressed willingness to adopt alternatives provided productivity equivalence could be demonstrated. Integrated pest management (IPM) received the highest adoption interest (71 per cent), followed by improved crop rotation (56 per cent) and botanical pesticides derived from neem (49 per cent). Primary adoption barriers were absence of extension support (79.2 per cent of focus groups) and yield uncertainty (75.0 per cent). On-farm demonstration plots were the strongly preferred learning mechanism (86 per cent of respondents). The study concludes that IPM and improved crop rotation represent immediately feasible alternatives for scale-up in the study area, with neem-based botanical pesticides requiring additional technical extension support. Investment in demonstration infrastructure and extension capacity is the critical enabling condition for adoption.