Confidence in teaching Integrated Pest Management (IPM) concepts, access to and preferred sources of information: A case study of agricultural extension officers in Kenya

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has assumed a central position in the quest for sustainable agricultural practices. IPM is an analytical and knowledge intensive approach to pest management that requires combining different methods of pest control aimed at reducing dependence on synthetic pesticides. Extension agents as educators on innovations in agriculture are an important focus group in the implementation of IPM practices. The main purpose of the study was to investigate how confident agricultural extension officers in Kenya would be to teach IPM concepts in extension programs. The study also sought to determine the level of access to IPM training and information and preferred sources of information of extension officers. The data were collected using a questionnaire from a census of agricultural extension officers in Kenya. The results showed that extension officers had low to moderate confidence in teaching the IPM concepts, especially at advanced levels. Findings also showed that the extension officers had minimal access to information and training in IPM. Based on the results from this study, there is need to improve the knowledge and skills of the extension officers in IPM through seminars, workshops, and in-service training to enable them to effectively promote IPM practices among farmers. Keywords: Agricultural extension, Integrated Pest Management, extension officers, Kenya, sustainable agriculture.South African Journal of Agricultural Extension Vol. 36 (1) 2007: pp. 203-21