China experiences serious agricultural damages from rodents, and, correspondingly, researchers in China are actively studying rodent biology and management. Following the popularization of ecologically-based rodent pe...China experiences serious agricultural damages from rodents, and, correspondingly, researchers in China are actively studying rodent biology and management. Following the popularization of ecologically-based rodent pest management and extension of the basic state policy of Ecological Civilization Construction in China, recent efforts in rodent control technologies are mainly focused on eliminating side effects of rodenticides and developing environmentally friendly techniques. Considering ecological functions of rodents to test their interaction with the environment is a promising design for understanding rodent populations in local ecosystems and for developing ecologically-based rodent management. Using ecological phenotypes and applying advanced techniques of molecular biology, genetics, and epigenetics might be useful for illustrating the deep regulatory mechanisms of fluctuations in rodent populations. However, facing the dual characteristics of rodents as pests and their roles as keystone species in many ecosystems, it is still a challenge to establish reasonable local thresholds to balance rodent management with the negative effects of rodent control on the environment in the future.展开更多
Rodents generate negative consequences for smallholder farmers in Africa that directly impact household and livestock damage,food security,and public health.Ecologically Based Rodent Management(EBRM)seeks sustainable ...Rodents generate negative consequences for smallholder farmers in Africa that directly impact household and livestock damage,food security,and public health.Ecologically Based Rodent Management(EBRM)seeks sustainable solutions for the mitigation of rodent damage through assessments of rodent population dynamics,agro-ecosystems,and socio-cultural contexts.We adopt a comparative approach across 3 rural Afro-Malagasy smallholder farming regions in South Africa,Tanzania,and Madagascar to assess the household impacts of rodent pests and current perceptions and preferences associated with several rodent control measures.We conducted focus group questionnaires and interviews in different study site locations.Rodents assert multiple impacts on Afro-Malagasy farmers demonstrating recurrent and emerging agricultural and household costs,and public health impacts.We identify a significant knowledge gap in educating communities about the application of different EBRM approaches in favor of acute poisons that are perceived to be more effective.Cultural issues and taboos also have a significant impact on the social acceptance of rodent hunting as well as biological control using indigenous predators.We advocate for an enhanced investigation of the socio-cultural beliefs associated with different rodent practices to understand the factors underlying social acceptance.A collaborative approach that integrates the perspectives of target communities to inform the design of EBRM initiatives according to the specific agro-ecosystem and socio-cultural context is necessary to ensure programmatic success.展开更多
Rice production in Vietnam is threatened by rodent pests, with a significant increase in impact reported from 1990through to the early 21st century. Pre-harvest rice losses are typically 5–10%, with losses of >20%...Rice production in Vietnam is threatened by rodent pests, with a significant increase in impact reported from 1990through to the early 21st century. Pre-harvest rice losses are typically 5–10%, with losses of >20% occurring insome years in some regions. Farmers’ rodent control practices are generally reactive and rely essentially on chemicaland physical methods. Ecologically-based rodent pest management (EBRM) was developed in the late 1990s tomanage rodents in rice-based farming systems in Vietnam and other parts of South-East Asia. EBRM combinesboth cultural and physical rodent management practices such as synchrony of cropping, short 2-week rat campaignsat key periods in key habitats, increasing general hygiene around villages, and use of a communitytrap-barrier system. Although EBRM has been reported to be economically profitable, the successful adoption ofthis set of technologies requires community participation. In this paper we address issues relating to the adoptionand sustainability of EBRM in lowland irrigated rice fields in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. We particularly explorethe social and cultural mechanisms involved in maintaining community participation to further understandthe conditions under which EBRM works and does not work. Positive indications of sustained use of community-based EBRM include: a policy pronouncement from the prime minister directing the use of integrated rodentmanagement;the use of existing cooperatives for developing community actions;budgetary allocation fromprovincial and local governments;diffusion of EBRM to provinces in the south and north that are not involved infarmer participatory field trials;and the adoption of EBRM by a non-governmental organization, World VisionVietnam, in their area-development programs.展开更多
Rodents are a serious constraint to poor farmers in the upland and lowland farming systems of the Lao People’sDemocratic Republic and have been described as the pest they have least control over. To better understand...Rodents are a serious constraint to poor farmers in the upland and lowland farming systems of the Lao People’sDemocratic Republic and have been described as the pest they have least control over. To better understand theseproblems a baseline survey of farmers was conducted to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respectto rodent management. A structured survey was conducted in 12 villages across Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang,and Houaphan provinces. Twenty farmers from each village were interviewed (a total of 240 farmers). Farmersnoted that the main factor limiting production was pests (70%), with rats identified as the most important pest(98%). The mean yield loss was estimated at 19% (range 0–100%). Trapping and rodenticides were commonlyused by farmers. Farmers believed that it was important to control rats and believed that rats could only be controlledif farmers worked together. However, 65% of farmers conducted rodent control by themselves, and 92% offarmers believed that rodenticides were harmful to the environment. The main constraints identified were the highcost of some control methods and the need to get farmers to work together as a community.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31401761)the Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
文摘China experiences serious agricultural damages from rodents, and, correspondingly, researchers in China are actively studying rodent biology and management. Following the popularization of ecologically-based rodent pest management and extension of the basic state policy of Ecological Civilization Construction in China, recent efforts in rodent control technologies are mainly focused on eliminating side effects of rodenticides and developing environmentally friendly techniques. Considering ecological functions of rodents to test their interaction with the environment is a promising design for understanding rodent populations in local ecosystems and for developing ecologically-based rodent management. Using ecological phenotypes and applying advanced techniques of molecular biology, genetics, and epigenetics might be useful for illustrating the deep regulatory mechanisms of fluctuations in rodent populations. However, facing the dual characteristics of rodents as pests and their roles as keystone species in many ecosystems, it is still a challenge to establish reasonable local thresholds to balance rodent management with the negative effects of rodent control on the environment in the future.
基金StopRats:European Union 9th European Development Fund grant from the African Caribbean and Pacific Science and Technology Programme(FED/2013/330-223)African Union(EcoRodMan:AURGII/1/006/2016)+5 种基金United Kingdom’s Department for International Development(AgriTT/894)SASOL Agricultural TrustSouth African National Research Foundation(LHS#88179)South African National Research Foundation and Department of Science and Technology through the South African Research Chair in Biodiversity Value and Change hosted by the University of Venda and co-hosted by the Centre for Invasion Biology,Stellenbosch University(NC,PT#87311)South African National Research Foundation(STW:UID 115040 and UID 107099)MEM also acknowledges the support of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology(COSTECH).
文摘Rodents generate negative consequences for smallholder farmers in Africa that directly impact household and livestock damage,food security,and public health.Ecologically Based Rodent Management(EBRM)seeks sustainable solutions for the mitigation of rodent damage through assessments of rodent population dynamics,agro-ecosystems,and socio-cultural contexts.We adopt a comparative approach across 3 rural Afro-Malagasy smallholder farming regions in South Africa,Tanzania,and Madagascar to assess the household impacts of rodent pests and current perceptions and preferences associated with several rodent control measures.We conducted focus group questionnaires and interviews in different study site locations.Rodents assert multiple impacts on Afro-Malagasy farmers demonstrating recurrent and emerging agricultural and household costs,and public health impacts.We identify a significant knowledge gap in educating communities about the application of different EBRM approaches in favor of acute poisons that are perceived to be more effective.Cultural issues and taboos also have a significant impact on the social acceptance of rodent hunting as well as biological control using indigenous predators.We advocate for an enhanced investigation of the socio-cultural beliefs associated with different rodent practices to understand the factors underlying social acceptance.A collaborative approach that integrates the perspectives of target communities to inform the design of EBRM initiatives according to the specific agro-ecosystem and socio-cultural context is necessary to ensure programmatic success.
文摘Rice production in Vietnam is threatened by rodent pests, with a significant increase in impact reported from 1990through to the early 21st century. Pre-harvest rice losses are typically 5–10%, with losses of >20% occurring insome years in some regions. Farmers’ rodent control practices are generally reactive and rely essentially on chemicaland physical methods. Ecologically-based rodent pest management (EBRM) was developed in the late 1990s tomanage rodents in rice-based farming systems in Vietnam and other parts of South-East Asia. EBRM combinesboth cultural and physical rodent management practices such as synchrony of cropping, short 2-week rat campaignsat key periods in key habitats, increasing general hygiene around villages, and use of a communitytrap-barrier system. Although EBRM has been reported to be economically profitable, the successful adoption ofthis set of technologies requires community participation. In this paper we address issues relating to the adoptionand sustainability of EBRM in lowland irrigated rice fields in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. We particularly explorethe social and cultural mechanisms involved in maintaining community participation to further understandthe conditions under which EBRM works and does not work. Positive indications of sustained use of community-based EBRM include: a policy pronouncement from the prime minister directing the use of integrated rodentmanagement;the use of existing cooperatives for developing community actions;budgetary allocation fromprovincial and local governments;diffusion of EBRM to provinces in the south and north that are not involved infarmer participatory field trials;and the adoption of EBRM by a non-governmental organization, World VisionVietnam, in their area-development programs.
基金the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research(SFS/2004/016),CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems,and the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute.
文摘Rodents are a serious constraint to poor farmers in the upland and lowland farming systems of the Lao People’sDemocratic Republic and have been described as the pest they have least control over. To better understand theseproblems a baseline survey of farmers was conducted to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respectto rodent management. A structured survey was conducted in 12 villages across Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang,and Houaphan provinces. Twenty farmers from each village were interviewed (a total of 240 farmers). Farmersnoted that the main factor limiting production was pests (70%), with rats identified as the most important pest(98%). The mean yield loss was estimated at 19% (range 0–100%). Trapping and rodenticides were commonlyused by farmers. Farmers believed that it was important to control rats and believed that rats could only be controlledif farmers worked together. However, 65% of farmers conducted rodent control by themselves, and 92% offarmers believed that rodenticides were harmful to the environment. The main constraints identified were the highcost of some control methods and the need to get farmers to work together as a community.
