Handbook on Pesticidal Plants

Food security and increased income are the primary goals of most poor farmers throughout sub-Saharan Africa where the majority of agriculture is carried out on smallholdings, often of less than ONE hectare. Farm size limits what farmers can produce, and this can be a great burden when most families’ livelihoods depend on the amount of food they can produce. It has been estimated that for every 10% increase in farm yields, poverty was reduced by 7% in Africa (Irz et al., 2001). According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) an increase of just 1% in agricultural per-capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would reduce the poverty gap five times more than a similar increase in GDP in any other sector, and would particularly target the poorest people. So helping smallholders to produce more food can alleviate poverty. Among the many factors that affect food production in Africa are pests and diseases that can lead to total crop failure. Accessibility of synthetic pesticides for pest and disease control is limited for many farmers due to their cost and restricted distribution networks. Products are frequently adulterated by unscrupulous traders, and inappropriate application can exacerbate pests and lead to pesticide resistance. Pesticidal plants are widely available at minimal or no cost to farmers, and have been used for centuries, so are culturally relevant. Pesticidal plants are broadly safer to use and handle than synthetic pesticides (Rother, 2010), are environmentally benign, typically less harmful to beneficial insects (Amoabeng et al ., 2013; Mkenda et al ., 2015) and are difficult to adulterate. However, many plants that are known to have pesticidal activity are not broadly utilized. While some pesticidal plants are abundant and include indigenous and weedy exotic species, others are less widely available, and their use can put species at risk of over-harvesting which would have a negative impact on ecosystem biodiversity. Their use can be sustainable through concerted efforts to improve their propagation, harvesting and conservation; whilst increased use of pesticidal plants could contribute to increased agricultural productivity and sustainable livelihoods, as well as reduced environmental pressure. At present their priority in agricultural policy is minor since their commercial incentives are low and knowledge about their optimal use is limited. By building the capacities of farmers and local institutions on on-farm management strategies of pesticidal plant use, agricultural production could be increased resulting in improved food security and nutrition

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