Synergies of integrated pest and pollinator management in avocado farming in East Africa: An ex-ante economic analysis

PLoS One. 2022 Jul 25;17(7):e0271241. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271241. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Using synthetic pesticides to manage pests can threaten pollination services, affecting the productivity of pollination-dependent crops such as avocado. The need to mitigate this negative externality has led to the emergence of the concept of integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM) to achieve both pest and pollinator management, leading to complementary or synergistic benefits for yield and quality of the harvest. This paper aims to evaluate the potential economic and welfare impact of IPPM in avocado production systems in Kenya and Tanzania. We utilize both primary and secondary data and employed the economic surplus model. On average the potential economic gain from the adoption of IPPM is US$ 66 million annually in Kenya, with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 13:1, while in Tanzania US$ 1.4 million per year, with a BCR of 34:1. The potential benefits from IPPM intervention gains are expected to reduce the number of poor people in Kenya and Tanzania by 10,464 and 1,255 people per year respectively. The findings conclude that policies that enhance the adoption of IPPM can fast-track economic development and therefore improve the livelihoods of various actors across the avocado value chain.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture
  • Humans
  • Persea*
  • Pest Control
  • Pollination
  • Tanzania

Grants and funding

D.T., B.W.M, S.M, & M.G.L received the funds. This work received financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) commissioned and administered through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Fund for International Agricultural Research (FIA), grant number 17.7860.4–001; the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Section for Research, Innovation, and Higher Education, grant number RAF-3058 KEN-18/0005; the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and the Government of the Republic of Kenya. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the donors. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.