Yam (Dioscorea spp.) Farmers’ Coping Strategies against Yam Beetle (Heteroligus spp.) in Delta State, Nigeria: Implication for Food Security

The study examined the various strategies adopted by yam farmers of Delta State in coping with the menace of yam beetle (Heteroligus meles). The specific objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of yam producers in Delta State; ascertain the economic losses caused by yam beetle in Delta State; determine the various strategies adopted by farmers in Delta State in coping with the menace of yam beetle; examine the effectiveness of the various coping strategies. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to compose a sample size of 225 respondents. Primary data were obtained from respondents with the use of structured and validated questionnaire. Various descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used in data analysis. The result showed that majority of the farmers (98.2%) adopted the use of multiple cropping in combating the menace of yam beetle; about 93% adopted late planting and 55.1% agrochemicals. Most of the farmers thus witnessed minimal losses in their farmers since they adopted one form of coping strategy or the other. The study further revealed that the use of agrochemical was the most effective coping strategy. The regression result showed that with the exception of gender, marital status and household size, all other factors were statistically significant at ρ ≤ 0.05, indicating that they influenced respondents’ adoption of coping strategies. The implication of these findings for food security was that yam production in Delta state is likely to improve, thereby leading to increase in food supply in the area since farmers are combating the menace of beetles. However, it was recommended, among others, that farmers should be enlightened on the need of using effective coping strategies.