Does IPM Have Staying Power? Revisiting a Potato‐producing Area Years After Formal Training Ended
研究了厄瓜多尔马铃薯产区在正式IPM培训结束多年后，农民对综合虫害管理技术的采用情况，发现采用率虽有所变化但持续存在，且农民间传播取代了正式培训。
Abstract Integrated pest management ( IPM ) potentially reduces pesticide use and costs of agricultural production. However, IPM is knowledge intensive and its spread may dissipate over time due to knowledge required for its effective implementation and to competing messages about pest control. We examine IPM spread and adoption several years after formal intensive IPM outreach efforts ceased in a potato‐producing region in Ecuador. We describe adoption patterns and sources of IPM knowledge in 2012 and compare them with patterns that existed when outreach ceased in 2003. Results show that IPM adoption continues in the area but with a lower proportion of farmers fully adopting all practices and a higher proportion adopting low to moderate levels as compared to 2003. Almost all potato farmers in the area use some IPM practices, reflecting a major increase in IPM use. Farmer‐to‐farmer spread has supplanted formal training and outreach mechanisms. IPM adoption significantly lowers pesticide use and saves production costs for adopters.