On-farm implementation of integrated weed management

Description

IWM is a part of integrated pest management (IPM) and adoption of IWM is an important driver for IPM. Within the project IWMPRAISE we developed a novel framework for integrating and implementing existing and novel approaches to IWM. Understanding the drivers of decision making by farmers are essential for a successful implementation of on farm IWM. In this chapter we review cognitive, social and dispositional factors often associated with the lack of IWM adoption by farmers: Lack of available knowledge on IWM; Limited evidence of efficiency, reliability and cost- effectiveness of IWM; Trade-offs with other parts of the cropping system; Increased complexity involved in IWM; Insufficient infrastructure to support relevant learning and decision making by farmers and land managers; individual values and beliefs of farmers affecting their attitudes to integrated weed management; Resistance to change and perception of risk. Finally, a framework for IWM decision making by farmers is presented.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Lack of available knowledge on integrated weed management 3 Limited evidence of efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness of integrated weed management 4 Trade-offs with other attributes of the cropping system 5 Implementation of integrated weed management is complex 6 Infrastructure to support relevant learning by farmers 7 Individual values and beliefs of farmers 8 Resistance to change and farm objectives 9 Case study: Decision process for on-farm integrated weed management amongst conventional European farmers 10 Conclusion 11 Future trends in research 12 Where to look for further information 13 Acknowledgements 14 References