Farmers' perception of the Striga problem and its control in northern Nigeria

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dc.creatorEmechebe, A.
dc.creatorEllis-Jones, J.
dc.creatorSchulz, S.
dc.creatorChikoye, David
dc.creatorDouthwaite, Boru
dc.creatorKureh, I.
dc.creatorTarawali, G.
dc.creatorHussaini, M.A.
dc.creatorKormawa, P.M.
dc.creatorSanni, AO
dc.date2004-04
dc.date2014-09-24T08:42:09Z
dc.date2014-09-24T08:42:09Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T14:42:52Z
dc.descriptionThe parasitic angiosperms, Striga hermonthica and S. gesnerioides, obligate root parasites endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, constitute severe constraints to cereal and legume production in West and Central Africa. Over the years, a range of effective component technologies has been identified for Striga control in Africa. The potential of these technologies has been demonstrated under researcher-managed conditions. To promote farmer testing of the technologies, community workshops were conducted in 42 rural communities in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. These revealed that agriculture was the main source of livelihood for most households. The three most important crops, maize, sorghum and pearl millet are attacked by S. hermonthica, regarded as the major constraint to crop production, often causing 70–100% crop loss. Farmers recognised two types of Striga damage (underground and aboveground), with greater damage being caused by underground Striga. Farmers attributed increasing incidence and severity of Striga damage to lack of capital, poor soil fertility, infestation of previously uninfested land by Striga seeds, and continuous cropping of host crops. The most widely used among the 15 existing Striga control techniques identified by the farmers were hoe weeding and hand pulling, application of inorganic fertilizer and manure, crop rotations, fallowing, and early planting. In assessing possible control measures farmers considered increased crop yield, reduced Striga reproduction and Striga emergence, greater crop vigour, and increased soil fertility as positive attributes. Negative attributes comprised increased labour requirement, higher costs, increased risk of crop damage or yield reduction, and lower quantity and quality of produce. Overall, a legume-cereal rotation was the most highly rated control option for S. hermonthica management evaluated by the farmers. The implications of these results are examined with respect to farmers' adoption and adaptation of Striga control options beyond the experimental plots.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/43455
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/86220
dc.languageen
dc.publisherCambridge University Press
dc.rightsLimited Access
dc.sourceEmechebe, A. M., Ellis-jones, J., Schulz, S., Chikoye, D., Douthwaite, B., Kureh, I., Tarawali, G., Hussaini, M. A., Kormawa, P., & Sanni, A. (2004). Farmers’ Perception Of The Striga Problem And Its Control In Northern Nigeria. Experimental Agriculture, 40(2), 215–232. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479703001601
dc.subjectstriga hermonthica
dc.subjectstriga gesnerioides
dc.subjectweed control
dc.subjectparasitic plants
dc.subjectcereals
dc.subjectfarmers
dc.subjectappropriate technology
dc.subjectinnovation adoption
dc.subjectcontrol de malezas
dc.subjectplantas parásitas
dc.subjectcereales
dc.subjectagricultores
dc.subjecttecnología apropiada
dc.subjectadopción de innovaciones
dc.subjectstriga
dc.subjecttechnology transfer
dc.titleFarmers' perception of the Striga problem and its control in northern Nigeria
dc.typeJournal Article

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Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)