Perception Change in Rice Pest Management: A Case Study of Farmers' Evaluation of Conflict Information
K. L. Heong
M. M. Escalada
A simple rule-of-thumb, or heuristic, in pest management which was in
conflict with farmers' prevailing perceptions was communicated to
farmers to examine whether their cognitive dissonance would challenge
them to evaluate it and change their misperceptions. The simple rule
used was: "In the first 30 days after transplanting (or 40 days after
sowing), leaffolder control is not necessary." The participatory
experiments were carried out by 101 rice farmers. Although farmers'
perceptions of pests and pesticide use were deeply entrenched, the
simple experiment reduced their early-season insecticide applications
and number of sprays. Farmers' attitudes toward leaf-feeding insects
also changed. Besides dissonance resolution, the main incentives that
had encouraged farmers seemed to be money savings and labor reduction.
Few studies in communication, if any, have explored the impact of the
use of conflict information on changing farmers' perceptions. This
article presents the results of a study which examined farmers'
evaluation of conflict information and its influence on their
perception changes in rice pest management. It also documents the
process and effects of farmer experimentation with a simple decision
rule or heuristic intended to correct their misperceptions.
K.L. Heong is entomologist and IPM coordinator, Entomology and Plant Pathology
Division, International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Laguna,
Phillipines. M.M. Escalada is professor, Department of Development Communication,
Visayas State College of Agriculture, Leyte, Phillipines.
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