Status report on global Neem usage - Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal

3. NEEM AS A NON-SYNTHETIC PESTICIDE
Fig. 3.5: Reasons for neem’s low level of acceptance as a pesticide, in % of the
responses (multiple answers were possible)
not enough neem trees available
know ledge not spread w idely enough
farmers have no confidence in neem
neem is too labour intensive
neem is not economical
synthetic pesticides are easier to use
synthetic pesticides are cheaper/ easier to obtain
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100
%
yes in parts no
Most of those asked said that the reason neem is not used as a pesticide on a wider scale
was because they did not know enough about it. Thus there are many rural areas in Asia and
Africa with plentiful stands of neem trees, but the local population does not know how to
manufacture pesticides from them.
The response "there are not enough neem trees" was often accompanied by the comment
that in regions in which it would be useful to exploit neem, too few or no trees at all are available.
This response also indicates that one of the main factors hindering greater neem usage
is its availability. Likewise, some of the responses identified the lack of professional marketing
options for neem products (see Chapter 3.3) as one of the main obstacles to greater
usage.
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