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Conceptual framework for associations between different parameters of farmers from the survey (n = 126). Both 'sociodemographic factors' and 'farming-related factors' are delineated as independent variables. Arrows indicate potential explanatory power/influence.
Source publication
Rodents threaten agricultural industries and food security on a global scale. Rodent management practices routinely involve the use of chemical products, mainly anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs). An understanding of farmer rodent control behaviors is crucial in order to implement management changes to more environmentally friendly practices. In this...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... collected information from farmers concerning their perceived knowledge of rodents as pests, their attitudes toward rodents, and their behaviors toward rodent control practices. Additionally, we sought to determine the relationships between sociodemographic factors, farming-related factors, attitudes toward rodents, and behaviors for rodent control (Figure 1). We expected that severity of rodent problem would influence attitudes toward rodents, which would also motivate the use of rodenticides. ...
Context 2
... collected information from farmers concerning their perceived knowledge of rodents as pests, their attitudes toward rodents, and their behaviors toward rodent control practices. Additionally, we sought to determine the relationships between sociodemographic factors, farming-related factors, attitudes toward rodents, and behaviors for rodent control (Figure 1). We expected that severity of rodent problem would influence attitudes toward rodents, which would also motivate the use of rodenticides. ...
Context 3
... conducted our survey in four townships, namely Tongxiao, Yuanli, Sanyi, and Zhuolan, of Miaoli County (24.56 • N, 120.82 • E), northwestern Taiwan ( Figure S1) from June to October 2020. Miaoli County has extensive agricultural activity, which comprises a large component of its economy. ...
Context 4
... is well established that human behavior is associated with attitudes, and this can be heightened in wildlife management contexts [20,73,74]. In this study, there is evidence of a causal network between farming-related factors, attitudes, and rodent control behaviors (hypothesized in Figure 1). As mentioned above, many rodent management responses have been identified as reactive in Asia [11,12,75], which could help affirm that experiential factors motivate attitudes and directly or indirectly facilitate rodent control practices. ...
Context 5
... S5: Methods of acquisition and considerations for which products of anticoagulant rodenticides to use reported by farmers. Figure S1: Map of townships Zhuolan, Sanyi, Yuanli, and Tongxiao in Miaoli County, Taiwan, where sampling for the survey was conducted. Figure S2: Comparison of crop storage and rodent problem. Figure S3: Rodenticide use of farmers compared between (A) age and (B) education. ...
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Second-generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (ARs) can be particularly critical for large carnivores, due to their widespread use and time-delayed impacts on their populations. While many studies explored the impacts of ARs on small and mesocarnivores, no study explored the extent to which they could contaminate large carnivores in anthropized land...
Citations
... The flexibility domain refers to the ability of people, in switching to the adaptation strategies available [33], to reduce ecological impacts while maintaining economic development. In communities prone to HWCs, this could be modifying current practices such as converting intensive conventional agriculture into wildlife-friendly farming [42], diversifying crops to reduce crop raiding [43], sharing and sparing land for habitat conservation [44,45], and adopting alternative non-invasive methods for controlling pests to avoid secondary poisoning to wildlife [46][47][48]. Flexibility also entails the possibility of shifting to different occupations either temporarily/seasonally or permanently in response to reoccurring HWCs by developing alternative livelihoods [49][50][51]. However, diversifying subsistence activities can inadvertently create ecological consequences if not performed properly [33]. ...
In Taiwan, the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis chinensis) remains the only extant native wild cat species. Previous studies have suggested anthropogenic factors as a cause of their decline, mainly due to conflicts with local farmers. Adaptation strategies that generate co-benefits are key to achieving human-wildlife coexistence. However, an understanding of the local views on such strategies is currently lacking. In this study, we performed the first regional assessment of 10 adaptation strategies for human-leopard cat coexistence and examined the impact of the socio-demographic factors affecting farmers' willingness to participate in these strategies based on quantitative interviews with 418 farmers in Miaoli County, employing an importance-performance analysis. We also present an integrated conceptual framework capturing five adaptation strategy domains and their resulting benefits, which lay the structural foundation for facilitating resilient coexistence. Our findings suggest that (1) respondents' perceived importance and performance of adaptation strategies were significantly different; (2) respondents most agreed with improvements in the incorporation of local knowledge/skills into science and policy and the establishment of adaptive co-management with local associations/non-governmental organisations; and (3) respondents aged below 49 years, supportive of coexistence, who did not own poultry, and preferred local farmer organisations to facilitate coexistence, were more likely to participate in the proposed adaptation strategies. Our findings provide guidelines for the future direction of the conservation and management of leopard cats that help achieve harmonious coexistence in shared landscapes.
... Numerous previous studies in different countries have shown that farmers have negative attitudes towards rodents in farms and that they take different actions to keep rodents away from their livestock [20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Cooperation with a professional pest controller can have a positive impact on perceptions and attitudes towards the implementation of prevention and control measures [27]. ...
... At the beginning of the project, farmers were aware that rodents can cause health as well as infrastructural and economic damages. So, there was a fundamental interest from farmers in the successful implementation of rodent-control measures [25]. Although farmers stated that they can protect their livestock from epizootics through rodent control, the promotion of biosecurity only played a subordinate role in the motivation for participating in the project. ...
Simple Summary
Rodents threaten the one health approach in livestock farming. In the present observational case study, livestock farmers collaborated with a pest controller in a pilot project in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The objective was to evaluate factors influencing rodent-prevention potential on 24 livestock farms after 1.5 years project duration. Farmers’ attitudes were surveyed at the project’s start in March 2019. Potential for rodent prevention was assessed by an external expert in 2020. About half of the farms showed good potential for rodent prevention. Willingness to change at the project start played a central role for rodent-prevention potential. The study underscores the necessity of better informing farmers about rodent control and prevention, emphasizing the importance of preventive measures for long-term rodent control. It also highlights the need for improved advisory services for farmers.
Abstract
Rodents in livestock farming constitute a threat to the one health approach. In the present observational case study, livestock farmers worked together with a pest controller within a pilot project. The aim of the study was to assess determinants associated with rodent-prevention potential. The study started in March 2019 on 24 livestock farms in a municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany. At the beginning of the project a survey on the determinants expected to be related to prevention potential was conducted. To determine the potential for rodent prevention, an expert person, who was not involved in the project before, assessed the on-site conditions of the farms after 1.5 years of project duration in 2020. The potential for rodent prevention was good for about half of the farms. There were significant differences in the willingness to make changes at the project’s start between farms with a high and a low potential for rodent prevention after 1.5 years. There is a general need for action to provide farmers with more practical information on rodent control. This is aggravated by the insufficient advisory services offered to farmers. This study confirms the importance of implementing preventive measures in the control of rodents to ensure that anticoagulant rodenticides are handled responsibly to reduce the impact on non-target species.
... This appeal has had a positive response in the rodentology community in the form of the submission of a number of high quality articles. The result was a published set of eight thematic articles [3,4,[15][16][17][18][19][20]. These articles included 23 authors from five geographical areas that include Australia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Taiwan, and the USA (California and Colorado). ...
... In terms of rodent control or monitoring, the published papers in this Special Issue include explorations of the use of baits and other chemical methods [15,17,18,20], the attractiveness of various types of non-toxic monitoring baits [3], and a survey-based analysis of the conditions under which different methods for rodent control are used in practice [16]. The current global policy trend is a general reduction in the number of registered chemicals for the control of pests of agricultural and epidemiological importance, whether in terms of rodenticides or insecticides or other types of pesticides and biocides [1,15,21,22]. ...
... However, despite the reduction in rodenticide active ingredients, many current rodent management practices still rely on chemical products. Best et al. [16] reported results from a survey of 126 Taiwan farmers on their knowledge, attitudes, and control practices for rodent pests of agricultural importance. One-third of the farmers stated that they currently use rodenticides. ...
Rodents are among the major pests that have accompanied human society and agriculture since ancient times [...]
A study was conducted to obtain information about the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of farmers in Wenchi highlands on rodent damage and their management practices. Farmers (n=395) from four highland villages of Wenchi District were randomly selected and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Rodents were identified as major pests, and perceived negatively among farmers. There were significant variations in the type of damage (χ2=112.698, df= 3, p < 0.05) and crop types susceptibility to rodent pest attack (χ2= 143.26, df = 3, P < 0.05). Crop damage (38.7%) and damage to human properties (27.9%) were the two dominant rodent related problems in the area. Barley was the most susceptible crop to rodent attack (57.5%). The occurrence of frequency of rodent pests and crop damage between the cropping stages also varied significantly. Most damage on barley crop (42.5%) occurred during the maturation stage. Farmers assessed and detected rodents damage by observing damaged seeds, damaged stores and rodent droppings in the storage, and stem cut of standing crops in the crop fields. None of the farmers have employed any management strategy in barley crop fields stating that this is practically impossible. In storage, farmers mainly use cats (53.73%) and trapping (22.64%) to control rodents. Detailed off-field rodent damage assessment, and community education for rodent management are recommended.
