Integrated Pest Management and Its Adoption Among Cocoa Farmers in Ogun State

This study examines integrated pest management practices and their adoption patterns among cocoa farmers in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. Cocoa production in Ogun State is significantly constrained by blackpod disease caused by Phytophthora megakarya and cocoa mirids, which together can reduce yields by 30 to 80 percent in severely affected farms. IPM programmes combining cultural practices, biological control, and judicious use of fungicides and insecticides offer a more sustainable and economically efficient alternative to calendar-based chemical spraying. This study uses a combination of on-farm IPM demonstration trials at 15 farms in Yewa North, Ijebu East, and Odogbolu local government areas with a survey of 120 cocoa farmers on current pest management practices, IPM knowledge, and adoption constraints. Trial farms are assessed for disease and pest incidence, spray frequency, input cost, and pod yield compared to farmer practice controls. Findings reveal that IPM-managed demonstration farms achieve pod yields 34 percent higher than farmer practice while reducing fungicide application frequency by 42 percent and chemical input costs by 28 percent. Farmer survey reveals that 78 percent use calendar spraying schedules regardless of disease pressure, resulting in both under- and over-application at different times. Lack of IPM training, inadequate extension support, and limited access to approved biological control products are the most frequently cited adoption barriers. The study recommends accelerated IPM training through farmer field schools and integration of IPM into state cocoa rehabilitation programmes.

Keywords: integrated pest management, cocoa, Ogun State, blackpod disease, farmer adoption.