Indigenous Pest Management Knowledge of Eritrean Farmers and Their Application in Pest and Disease Management

The incorporation of traditional indigenous knowledge is crucial in the agricultural production systems. To ensure the preservation of these practices for future use, there is a necessity for comprehensive documentation. This research aimed at exploring and documenting the indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) practices employed by local farmers in agricultural production and assessing their scientific rationality. A sample of 62 farmers from Gash Barka and Debub Regions of Eritrea were randomly selected for the study. Data collection involved interviews and focused group discussions. The identified indigenous technical knowledge underwent scientific validation by experts from the departments of Plant Health of Hamelmalo Agricultural College, Eritrea and CABI, Nairobi. Majority (72%) of the farmers were male, fell within the age bracket of 61-70 and relied on their own seeds as source of planting material. Primary crops cultivated included cereals such as sorghum (84%), teff (77%), and wheat (76%), along with legumes like chickpea (60%), peas (52%), and groundnut (32%). Storage pests such as Stophilus spp, trichidae, Tribolium spp, and Callosobruchus chinensis were reported by the majority of farmers. Farmers identified field pests, including the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), sorghum shoot fly (Athrigona soccata), locusts (Schistocerca gregaria), and stem borers (Busceola fusca), as major challenges. Indigenous pest control methods used by farmers ranged from animal by-products to plant components like neem (Azadirachta indica), red pepper, and physical strategies were deemed rational by experts. The most frequently cited ITKs, with a relative frequency of 1.0, were pre-storage drying of grains, weeding, and ploughing. The study concludes that the application of ITKs carries significant implications for pest and disease management, and their integration into an integrated pest management system is recommended.