Good crop protection strategies key to higher yields

Implementing crop protection strategies, including when and how to use them, is crucial for farmers to have a successful harvest. Tapiwa Masimba, an experienced horticulturist, shares practical tips on the best strategies and how to make informed decisions to safeguard crops and boost productivity.

Masimba explains the balance between physical, chemical, and biological pest control methods and their role in modern farming.

“Farmers face challenges with the practicability and cost constraints of physical pest control methods. Although many prefer to avoid chemicals to produce safer food, physical methods such as manual weeding are labour-intensive and time-consuming compared to chemical sprays,” he says.

Combining physical, biological, and chemical methods

Masimba highlights that in controlled environments like greenhouses, physical methods such as insect nets and temperature control are more feasible. However, he noted that in large-scale open farming, the balance between practicality and cost often pushes farmers toward chemical solutions.

Integrated pest management (IPM), according to Masimba, is a crucial approach for sustainable farming. “IPM is essential because you can’t solely rely on one method. It requires a strategy that combines physical, biological, and chemical methods.”

He discusses the importance of structures like shade nets and greenhouses, especially for high-value crops. “Shade netting is a common method, offering protection against sunlight, hail, and frost. However, farmers must carefully consider the costs of setting up such structures,” he notes.

In response to the recent black frost that affected farmers in Limpopo, Masimba offered a pragmatic perspective. “You do get outliers in your data set, like this year’s frost. I wouldn’t advise making long-term decisions based on an outlier event, especially if it occurs once in three or five years,” he says, encouraging farmers to stay resilient.

In this episode, Masimba also discusses:

Insights on technological advancements that supplement pest control and crop protection;
The growing use of robots for weeding and GPS technology in tractors and more.

Want to know more? Dive deeper into the episode and gain insights from the award-winning Farmer’s Inside Track, officially recognised as Africa and the world’s best podcast at the 2024 Digital Media Awards presented by WAN-IFRA, the global press organisation.

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