Assessment of Indigenous Pest and Disease Management Among Sweet Potato Farmers

Sweet potatoes are extremely adaptable to adverse environmental conditions; they can help increase food security in times of drought and famine. In recent times sweet potato production has been on the decline due to many factors regarding pest and disease management. The objectives were to: (i) describe the socio-economic characteristics of the sweet potato farmers; (ii) identify the common field/storage pest and disease of sweet potato in the study area; (iii) investigate the indigenous measures of controlling field/storage pests and diseases used by the sweet potato farmers; (iv) ascertain the benefits of using indigenous method of controlling pest and disease; (v) identify the challenges to the indigenous method of controlling pest and disease. One hundred and twenty-two sweet potato farmers were randomly selected from two local government areas. The study shows that majority (89.3%) of the sweet potato farmers in the study area were male and very high percentage (80.4%) of the respondents was married. The major field and storage pests are armyworm, grasshopper, rabbit, and rat. Black rot, leaf spot and bacterial wilt are the major field and storage diseases of sweet potato. The major challenges faced by the sweet potato farmers were unavailability of natural herbs. The study concluded that the use of indigenous measures to control sweet potato pest and diseases are very effective and beneficial. Therefore, the study recommends that Extension agent should work with the farmers on how the natural herbs will be available and preserved within the study area.