Socioeconomic and institutional determinants influencing the choice of smallholder farmers in the management of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in maize agroecosystems of the Guinea Savanna in Nigeria

Fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda ) is one of the most destructive maize pests in sub-Saharan Africa to this moment. The responses by smallholder farmers are pesticide-based, raising sustainability and health issues. Despite extensive promotion of biological pest control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), there is scant evidence on how the socioeconomic and institutional factors influence farmers’ choice of control. These variables were examined on IPM and biological control options in the Guinea Savanna maize agroecosystems in Nigeria. An area survey was conducted using structured questionnaires by sampling 420 maize farmers in the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State with multistage sampling for collecting demographic characteristics, institutional access, pest risk perception, and FAW management practices. The use of control strategies was categorized using FAO guidelines as pesticide, cultural, biological, and IPM. The descriptive statistics, probit regression model (assessing IPM adoption), and multivariate probit models (examining correlated management choice) were used to analyze the data. Pesticide control was popular (61.4%), and the number of those adopting IPM and biological control was relatively low (18.7%). The variables of institutional and extension services, education, farming experience, credit access, and awareness of non-chemical options had large impacts on the management decisions (p ≤ 0.05), which are stronger than reported pest pressure. The use of extension contact increased adoption of IPM by 34%, whereas increased pesticide cost reduced reliance on pesticide suppression (β = -0.29). The results showed that institutional support and knowledge-based interventions are needed for promoting biological pest control and sustainable maize production.