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Effect of Agricultural Advisory Services on Farmers’ Adoption of Pest Surveillance Practices

Abstract

Pest surveillance is an important component of effective agricultural pest management because it involves the regular observation, identification, monitoring, and recording of pest populations and their distribution in crop fields. Effective pest surveillance can help farmers detect pest outbreaks early, understand changes in pest populations, and make timely decisions about appropriate control measures. Agricultural advisory services can provide farmers with the knowledge, technical information, and practical guidance required to adopt effective pest surveillance practices. This study will examine the effect of agricultural advisory services on farmers’ adoption of pest surveillance practices. It will assess farmers’ access to agricultural advisory services and determine how such services influence their adoption of recommended pest surveillance practices. The study will also examine the extent to which farmers apply advisory information in monitoring pest populations and responding to pest threats. The study will focus on farmers’ adoption of regular field inspection, pest identification, pest population monitoring, sampling, recording of pest observations, monitoring of crop damage, use of pest surveillance tools, identification of pest hotspots, and reporting of unusual pest occurrences. Attention will also be given to advisory activities such as farm visits, training programmes, field demonstrations, farmer group meetings, pest management consultations, and dissemination of pest-related information. These services may improve farmers’ ability to monitor pest populations and respond appropriately to emerging pest problems. A quantitative research approach will be adopted for the study. Data will be collected from selected farmers using structured questionnaires and adoption assessment instruments. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations will be used to summarize the data, while adoption scores, correlation analysis, and regression analysis will be used to determine the relationship between agricultural advisory services and farmers’ adoption of pest surveillance practices. The study is expected to reveal that farmers with greater access to agricultural advisory services may demonstrate higher adoption of pest surveillance practices. Advisory services may improve farmers’ ability to conduct regular field inspections, identify pest species, monitor pest populations, record observations, and detect potential pest outbreaks. However, limited advisory contact, inadequate surveillance tools, insufficient technical information, lack of training, and farmers’ reliance on routine pesticide application may constrain effective adoption. The study will be useful to farmers, agricultural extension agents, entomologists, crop protection specialists, agricultural development agencies, researchers, government institutions, and non-governmental organizations. It may provide useful information on the contribution of agricultural advisory services to improved pest surveillance and identify challenges affecting farmers’ adoption of systematic pest monitoring practices. The findings may also assist agricultural agencies in designing practical advisory programmes that promote early pest detection and informed pest management. The study concludes that agricultural advisory services can play an important role in improving farmers’ adoption of pest surveillance practices. It is therefore recommended that agricultural extension agencies strengthen advisory services through practical field demonstrations, regular farm visits, pest monitoring training, and provision of accessible pest surveillance information and tools. These measures can improve early detection of pest problems, support timely management decisions, reduce unnecessary pesticide use, and contribute to sustainable crop production.

Keywords: Agricultural advisory services, farmers’ adoption, pest surveillance, pest monitoring, pest management, pest identification, crop protection, pest scouting, agricultural extension, farmer training, pest detection, pest population monitoring, integrated pest management, agricultural information, sustainable agriculture.