Farmers' Perception of Midge Impact on Sorghum Grains Production in Burkina Faso
Kouraogo Issouf *
Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherche Agricoles (INERA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique, 01 BP 476 Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso.
Ouedraogo Issoufou
Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherche Agricoles (INERA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique, 01 BP 476 Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso.
Ouedraogo Nofou *
Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherche Agricoles (INERA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique, 01 BP 476 Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso.
Sanon Antoine
Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo (UJKZ), 03 BP 7012 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso.
Raboin Louis-Marie
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Campus de Lavalette, Avenue Agropolis – 34398, Montpellier, France.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Sorghum midge, Stenodiplosis sorghicola (Coquillet, 1898) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is one of the most damaging insect pests, significantly reducing the crop yield worldwide. The present study was carried out to improve understanding of farmers' perceptions of sorghum midge and the traditional methods used to control it. Surveys were carried out in seven regions, including ten provinces of Burkina Faso. These surveys were carried out using scorecards on the incidence of the insect and other agricultural aspects during October and November 2023. The results show that most growers are illiterate and mostly use local varieties for sorghum production. Only 6% of surveyed growers could identify the insect and recognize its damage to sorghum crops. Among them, just 3% implemented any control measure. Similarly, the survey revealed that all the localities visited were infested by the midge. These results represent an important step towards managing sorghum midge populations and improving production, especially in areas with high levels of infestation.
Keywords: Sorghum midge, farmer perception, insects, damage, production, Burkina Faso