Traditional knowledge and use of plants as agricultural insecticides from a gender perspective in three rural communities of the Ecuadorian Andes

Abstract

Background. In Ecuador, plants have traditionally been used to control crop pests as an alternative to chemical pesticides. In this study, we evaluate the state of knowledge surrounding these plants among farmers in three rural communities of the Ecuadorian Andean region and analyze, in turn, whether this knowledge is conditioned by gender. Methods. Semi-structured surveys were designed with demographic information, as well as information related to the use of plants to control pests in crops. A total of 240 surveys were administered to farmers in the three selected sectors (120 men and 120 women), followed by on-site visits to contrast the information collected. To determine the importance of the species, the use value (UV) of each species was analyzed, and the Fidelity Level (FL) and informant consensus factor (ICF) indices were established to quantitatively analyze the consensus among the responses collected. The number of species used was also analyzed, as well as the possible differences in the way in which these species were prepared and handled, depending on the genus. Results. Thirty-four percent of respondents use plant-based insecticides as the main source of pest control. A total of 21 species were identified for this purpose. The species with the highest use values were Ruta graveolens L. (ruda) (UV=0.62), Capsicum annuum L. (ají) (UV=0.58), and Allium sativum L. (ajo) (UV=0.35). The majority of respondents (60 %) use them to treat the pest caused by Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (white fly). The main form of preparation consists of the maceration of 2-3 species, which is applied preventively every 15-30 days. From the surveys, there are slight differences in usage between men and women. There is a higher percentage (55 vs. 40 %) of usage in women, while the average number of species and total number of species are both similar (between 2 and 3 species used in combination and 18 vs. 17 species, respectively). The main differences are of a qualitative nature and refer to the different use values of some species compared to others. Conclusions. The results of this work show a worrying erosion of knowledge concerning the use of plant species as insecticides for agriculture. Only 34 % of the respondents use them and only two species have a UV > 0.5 (R.graveolens and C. annuum). Although there are slight differences in usage between men and women, most of these differences refer to the preference of some species over others and, therefore, knowledge of these species does not seem to be significantly influenced by gender.