Bridging the gap in agricultural innovation research: a systematic review of push–pull biocontrol technology in sub-Saharan Africa

Biological control for sustainable plant protection in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is gaining attention due to low crop productivity caused by pests, increasing costs of agrochemicals, and their harmful impact on health and the environment. A valuable case is the Push–pull technology (PPT) developed by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE). However, evidence for the success of PPT in reducing pest prevalence has not translated from experimentation and demonstration to wider-scale on-farm uptake. A systematic review was conducted to explore the research gaps, benefits of PPT, adoption determinants, barriers to uptake, and how farmers choose to adopt and adapt the technology. The study found a large body of evidence on the biophysical benefits of PPT, which comes from a relatively narrow set of ICIPE-led or managed experiments in Western Kenya. Besides, evidence of its social and economic benefits is less robust. Documented barriers to adoption include initial establishment costs, labour intensiveness, risk averseness of farmers, socio-cultural rigidity, and inadequate access to information and inputs. The review highlights the need for qualitative research, an in-depth examination of the social dynamics of innovation and decision-making processes on farms, and institutions’ role in shaping innovation for sustainable agricultural development

Cropland can support high bird diversity in heterogeneous rural tropical landscapes

Land-use change for crop production is one of the key drivers of habitat loss and fragmentation and consequently biodiversity loss and change in tropical regions. This may impact biodiversity-regulated ecosystem services; birds are important to crop health regulating services (e.g. seed dispersal, pest control) and disservices (e.g. seed predation, grain herbivory). However, knowledge is limited on how birds use heterogeneous agricultural landscapes and the consequences for spatial distribution and flow of services and disservices. We studied crop and non-crop–habitat associations of birds in forest–agricultural landscapes of the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. We focused on dietary preference as a key trait impacting bird responses to land-use change, services, and disservices to crops. We surveyed birds across four main habitat types using repeated point counts, recording a total of 148 species. We found that crop habitats supported higher species richness and larger communities of potentially beneficial species to crop health, whereby 34.5% of invertebrate-feeding species were recorded in cropland. We found that habitat heterogeneity within the landscape supports bird functional diversity and that each habitat type supported unique communities of species. Furthermore, the number of species unique to forest habitats increased with increasing forest canopy closure. Our findings suggest that management strategies for maintaining trees and shrubs, and enhancing tree cover within the crop production landscape, can be effective approaches for maintaining bird diversity and services. However, in-depth studies on trade-offs with disservices need further exploration to mitigate negative impacts of birds on crop yields

Farmers' biodiversity knowledge improves natural enemy conservation in agricultural ecosystems.

Context In the face of dual challenges of sustainable food production and biodiversity conservation, the knowledge gaps of farmers about biodiversity, pests, and their natural enemies can become a crucial barrier to adopting sustainable land management practices. Objective The study aimed to assess farmers' knowledge and understanding of crop pest and natural enemy diversity and their impacts, and whether the adoption of Climate-Smart or Conservation Agriculture (CSA here onwards) was associated with this knowledge. Methods We conducted questionnaire-based interviews and showed biodiversity images, including crop pests and beneficial insects, to understand farmers' knowledge of biodiversity on their farms. A comparison was drawn between farmers practising CSA and non-CSA farmers to understand the role of CSA in enhancing biodiversity knowledge. Results and conclusions Farmers facing greater yield losses were aware of pests, but they were less knowledgeable about their natural enemies, and they used fewer conservation management practices. CSA farmers, however, showed more biodiversity knowledge, especially of natural enemies, and they employed a wider range of CS management practices. Farmers’ age, experience, education, and training were positively correlated with biodiversity knowledge, leading to better natural enemy conservation and pest management practices. Significance The findings underscore the need for biodiversity-focused capacity building in sustainable agricultural programs, targeting less knowledgeable farming groups. It emphasises the crucial role of farmers' knowledge in developing sustainable and biodiversity-friendly food production systems

Why do rural communities do what they do in the context of livelihood activities? Exploring the livelihood priority and viability nexus

This study seeks to empirically understand why rural households do what they do in the context of livelihood activities, even though most of the activities are not economically viable. Mixed methods, including interviews and questionnaire survey (n = 200), were used to collect primary data. Findings showed that livelihood priority is not the same as economic viability. We argued that most livelihood related projects in rural communities tend to be either nonstarter or counterproductive because of the failure of development agents to separate priority from viability. A gender perspective is applied to understand the differences in livelihood participation as well as preferences among households. While female-headed households tend to favor livelihood activities with stable income, their male counterparts prefer activities with higher income, suggesting that the former tend to be more risk averse. Results suggest that policy aimed at improving livelihood activities in rural communities should focus on viable projects

Barriers to climate change adaptation: evidence from northeast Ghana in the context of a systematic literature review

Despite the international significance attached to climate change adaptation, there remains a lack of understanding of the barriers that impede the effective implementation of adaptation strategies by households across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Better understanding of the vulnerability of agriculture-dependent households to climate variability requires exploration of the barriers that constrain the implementation of adaptation strategies. This paper uses case studies from northeast Ghana and a systematic literature review to assess the barriers that restrict effective implementation of climate adaptations in SSA. Results suggest that households are constrained by financial barriers, socio-cultural barriers, institutional barriers, technological barriers and a lack of information on climate change characteristics. We examine how the various barriers interact at different levels to influence the adaptation process. Findings highlight that the development of early warning systems, effective communication of climate information and an understanding of the local context within which adaptations take place, are necessary pre-requisites to enhance climate adaptations and rural livelihoods. Households need to be supported through the provision of micro-credit schemes, community empowerment and extension initiatives aimed at enhancing social networks within farming communities in order to reduce their vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change and variability