Adoption and intensity of integrated pest management (IPM) vegetable farming in Bangladesh: an approach to sustainable agricultural development

The common use of pesticide is a major challenge in trying to accomplish sustainable agriculture. Farming systems based on integrated pest management (IPM) technologies can reduce the use of pesticides to a great extent without causing harm to the yield. Therefore, Bangladesh, like many developing countries, launched IPM technologies to reduce the adverse effects of pesticides in social, economic and environmental aspects. This study made an attempt to analyze the level of IPM adoption and the intensity of IPM practices by vegetable farmers of Narsingdi district, Bangladesh. A total of 331 vegetable producers were sampled. The results revealed that less than one-third of the farmers (30 %) adopted IPM and they varied in terms of the number or type of practices. The use of logistic regression model in this study was to identify the significant factors of IPM adoption, explore several factors, including farmer field school, land ownership status, perception toward IPM, use of improved varieties and extension contact. Furthermore, the linear regression model showed that vegetable cultivation area, farmers' age, household size, land ownership status and perception toward IPM are necessary in the adoption intensity of IPM practices. This study also made an attempt to clarify the role of these factors in the adoption behavior of IPM practices in vegetable farming. The findings could be used to formulate better policies toward increasing the adoption of this sustainable approach.