Perception and Management Strategies of the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Maize, Millet and Sorghum by Farmers in Western Burkina Faso

Since it was first detected in Africa in early 2016, the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), has spread to over 50 African countries, including Burkina Faso. This insect pest attacks important cereals, such as maize, millet and sorghum, which are the staple food in Burkina Faso. Since the invasion of the FAW in Africa, data on farmers’ knowledge and their perceptions of this insect’s pest are scarce and fragmented in Burkina Faso. Although this issue has been already addressed in some African countries, farmers’ perceptions of this invasive insect pest may differ from one country to another. This reality justifies our study, the main objective of which is to assess the perception and level of knowledge of farmers on this new invasive insect pest and the consequences of its damage to cereal production in western Burkina Faso. To do this, a stratified survey was conducted among 355 farmers in two important agricultural regions of Burkina Faso, namely the Hauts-Bassins and the Cascades. At the end of these surveys, it was found that the age of the people surveyed varied from 18 to 80 years. People between the ages of 41 and 50 and 31 and 40 were the most numerous, with 31.27% and 30.14% of the target population, respectively. In addition, the majority of the farmers were male, 94.08% of them being men and 5.92% being women. More than half (50.42%) of this population was non-literate. Almost all of the farmers surveyed (97.46%) said they had heard of S. frugiperda and 80.85% of them said they could identify the insect pest. The date of appearance of the FAW was variously perceived by the farmers of the study area. According to these cereals growers, the years 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 were to be remembered in terms of the insect pest’s appearance. While for sorghum and millet the change in yields from 2010 to 2019 seemed slight, it was quite remarkable for maize according to the farmers. The average maize yield in 2016 and 2017 was 1.95 and 1.83 t/ha, respectively. These values will increase slightly in 2018 and 2019 with 2.08 and 2.39 t/ha, respectively. In the field, several management methods were used by the farmers to control the insect pest’s attacks. These include chemical, cultural, and physical control. Insecticide spray frequencies ranged from 1 to 4 and even more depending on the duration of the maize cycle.