Going the distance: How does market access affect demand for IPM packages?

Abstract

A challenge facing integrated pest management (IPM) technology transfer programs is to identify where to conduct outreach. As IPM is a knowledge-intensive management process, effective training usually requires sustained interactions between extension professionals and target farmers. Efforts to disseminate IPM are constrained by limited extension budgets and therefore should focus on areas with the greatest promise for adoption per cost of program delivery. This article presents a simple means of evaluating the potential promise for IPM information dissemination based primarily on distance to input and output markets and other factors such as access to irrigation and rainfall and household and farm characteristics. The method is applied to rural Honduras, where an active IPM research program has sought guidance on where to focus its dissemination efforts.