Abstract
A combination of botanicals and natural components to manage pests and diseases of crops
offers considerable promise for increasing incomeand sustainability of farmers in developing
countries. It nonetheless remains unclear whether these techniques lend themselves easily to
adoption by smallholder farmers. Using cross sectional data applied to probit model, this study
finds that preparation constraints limit many farmers’ adoption of alternative pest management
techniques. The size of the farm owned by a farmer, educational qualification, household size,
farming experience and social group participation all had a significant positive effect on the
likelihood of adoption. This study helps to close the “feedback loop” from farmers back to
researchers and others attempting to disseminate the technology, and by doing so, should
contribute to faster and more widespread uptake of this technology.