Towards increased use of IPM : an investigation of Norwegian grain farmers' pest management practices and decision processes
Abstract
The last decade, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has become mandatory in many European countries, but implementation on farm level is lagging and evidence for the barriers and driving forces is lacking. The goal of this thesis was to expand the understanding of how to improve the implementation of IPM by investigating Norwegian grain farmers’ pest management practices and decision processes. A survey of 617 Norwegian grain farmers was conducted in addition to in-depth interviews of 24 of the respondents. An IPM index was developed to categorise the respondents according to their use of IPM practices. Having an environmental mindset, being concerned with crop quality, having frequent contact with peers, and a high level of education was found to correlate positively with increased use of IPM, whereas decreased use coincided with having a low farming income and being concerned with entirely eradicating pests. The effect of the local conventions and norms regarding pest management appeared to affect the decision processes of the farmers in ways that presented both barriers to and drivers for increased implementation of IPM. Supporting the integration of the concepts of IPM into what is good farming practices in local farming communities is paramount for increased adoption of IPM.