Publisher's Synopsis
Small scale farming families account for the large majority of population in most countries of E & C Africa. Agricultural production is carried out overwhelmingly in small scale farms where labour is scarce and inputs such as pesticides and machinery are not affordable. Extensive yield losses are inflicted upon food crops on small farms by insects, weeds, nematodes and diseases. Improvement of crop protection practices is therefore seen as an important means of raising yields. Senior scientists from the Commonwealth countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe have identified key issues in crop protection for small scale farms on which they are focusing their attention. These issues are reviewed and discussed in this volume and include: the use of inter-cropping; yield losses caused by maize stalk borer; efficient control of weeds; pesticide safety and management; learning from farmers’ practices. This volume represents the collection of review papers presented at the Commonwealth Science Council's Crop Protection Meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, in March 1988.
