Since the beginning of the millennium, pesticide use has increased dramatically across Asia. However, it is still unclear what drives pesticide use among low-income farmers. We surveyed 275 farmers to investigate their decisions to apply or avoid pesticides on rice farms in southern Sri Lanka. Based on the information from the survey, we applied the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impacts-Responses framework to assess farmers’ decisions as ‘Responses’ to changes in the rice ecosystem. Organic farmers mainly planted traditional varieties (64–77%) that they perceived as resistant to environmental stresses, including insect herbivores. Pesticide users, including integrated pest management farmers, and insecticide-free farmers (without insecticide use for ≥5 years) mainly planted modern rice varieties. There were no significant differences in reported rice yields among farmers using different management practices. However, fewer organic and insecticide-free farmers reported insect pests, particularly planthoppers, as a production constraint. Insecticide use by farmers was mainly an adaptive response to perceived risks of pest damage to high-yielding varieties. But farmers’ responses were largely unsupported by any previous experience, suggesting that an increased availability and marketing of agrochemicals, and pressures to modernize production have influenced their decisions to use insecticides. Organic and insecticide-free farming practices were mainly restorative responses to perceived health risks associated with agrochemicals. We suggest that attention could be placed on promoting ‘pesticide-free’ or ‘insecticide-free’ farming through certification schemes as a viable option to break the lock-in of pesticide use on rice farms in the region and to provide additional product choices for rice consumers.

中文翻译：

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农民使用和避免使用农药以改变斯里兰卡南部水稻生态系统的影响

自千禧年以来，亚洲各地的农药使用量急剧增加。然而，目前尚不清楚是什么推动了低收入农民使用农药。我们对 275 名农民进行了调查，以调查他们在斯里兰卡南部稻田中使用或避免使用杀虫剂的决定。根据调查中的信息，我们应用驱动因素-压力-状态-影响-响应框架来评估农民的决策作为对水稻生态系统变化的“响应”。有机农民主要种植他们认为对环境压力有抵抗力的传统品种 (64-77%)，包括昆虫食草动物。农药使用者，包括病虫害综合治理农民和无杀虫剂农民（≥5年未使用杀虫剂）主要种植现代水稻品种。使用不同管理方法的农民之间报告的水稻产量没有显着差异。然而，较少有机和无杀虫剂的农民报告害虫，特别是飞虱，作为生产限制因素。农民使用杀虫剂主要是对高产品种有害生物危害风险的适应性反应。但农民的反应在很大程度上没有任何先前经验的支持，这表明农用化学品供应和销售的增加以及生产现代化的压力影响了他们使用杀虫剂的决定。有机和无杀虫剂的耕作方式主要是对与农用化学品相关的感知健康风险的恢复性反应。