Intensive rice cultivation - problems of pests and diseases. A case study of the Muda Irrigation Scheme, Malaysia

Abstract

The intensification of rice production is a key explanation to the high self-sufficiency ratios in rice that a number of Asian countries have achieved in spite of high population growth rates. At present there are serious problems of yield stability and sustainability in the Green Revolution production systems. Damage caused by pests and diseases is one explanation receiving growing attention. In the Muda Irrigation Scheme rice farmers have been experiencing increasing pest/disease damage for more than a decade. The pest/disease problem is officially referred to as one of the major factors responsible for causing unstable yields. This paper argues that the problem can only be understood if viewed as much in its social and economic context as in its physical and ecological context. It also discusses some concepts that can be employed in an analysis of the varying constraints and possibilities farmers experience in their confrontation with pest/disease problems. -from Author