and Integrated Pest Management - part - usaid

232 IESTICIDE MANAGEMENT AND fPM INSOUTIEAST ASIA
40 persons (avcrage estimated at 20), it can be assumed that at last 3000 contact
farmers countrywide practise surveillance, and depending
this technology
on their skill
as !fany
to pass
as
on
30,000 farmcrs may be in Ohe process of adopting it
and presumably practising it.
Since increasing the coopcration with the
agents
general
(lKasct
agricultural
Tanmibon), extension
even higher figures may be expected.
known
It
that
is also
the subject
well­
matter prescnted and discussed
meetings
during
of the
the
T
fortnightly
& V system contain as much as up to
topics
70%
including
plant protection
SEWS. This gives rise to optimism as far as dissemination
rates of the surveillance concept is concerned.
DISCUSSION
Three main factor areas influencing the success of rice pest surveillance
extcnsion to farners, measured in adoption rates, may be identified:
1. the attractiveness of the technology package offered,
2. the extension/communication strategy, and
3. the structure and quality of the organization of plant protection extension.
Attractiveness of the Technology Package Offered
A new technology is most readily adopled by Thai farmers if it appears to
have an advantage, is simple, compatible, available for trial, and observable
(Pontius 1983). These characteristics can be influenced by the makeup and
credibility of the message and channcl.
Although it has been proven that at a certain adoption rate (Neutatz et al.
1985) the ise of the SEWS concept brings a substantial economic benefit to the
COLnhuy, inimany areas where rice is growi on a subsistence level of technology
in Thailand or where higher value crops domlnate, this is not the case, or only
very marginal, and can hardly be felt by the individual farmer. In the latter
situation, other benefits must be stressed to convince the farmers of its use,
benefits such as increase of knowledge about integrated pest control and/or a
healthier environment. In these are,)s tli- task for the extension agent is very
difficut because his arguments are often not taken seriously. Consequently pest
surveillance t chnology in rice needs to be focussed on areas of higher impact.
This again leaves the Plant Protection Extension Service in a dilemma because
of sociopolitical commitments to give assistance to l,oorer areas and especially
to the poorest farmers first.
The Extension-Communication Strategy
Apart from the fact that not all farmers have the same opportunity to obtain
infor nation because of a selective focussing of promotional efforts for new
technology by government agencies to the most progressive villages, a typical
farmer's communication behavior exists in Thailand (Pontius 1983).
Farmer interaction with an information source is reduced in proportion to
their distance from tie source. At the village level, most contact exists between