Friend or foe? Attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in West Africa
As the global human population grows and the demand for space and resources increases, human-wildlife interactions and conflicts are expected to rise, particularly in biodiversity-rich tropical agroecosystems where subsistence farmers and wildlife coexist. We investigated farmers' attitudes usi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Society |
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| Online Access: | https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol29/iss4/art24 |
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| author | Patrícia Chaves Marije Schaafsma Djunco Dabo Judite Z. Lomba Fode Mane Ricardo F. de Lima Jorge M. Palmeirim Ricardo Rocha Sambu Seck Justino Biai Sérgio Timóteo Christoph F. J. Meyer Ana Rainho |
| author_facet | Patrícia Chaves Marije Schaafsma Djunco Dabo Judite Z. Lomba Fode Mane Ricardo F. de Lima Jorge M. Palmeirim Ricardo Rocha Sambu Seck Justino Biai Sérgio Timóteo Christoph F. J. Meyer Ana Rainho |
| author_sort | Patrícia Chaves |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the global human population grows and the demand for space and resources increases, human-wildlife interactions and conflicts are expected to rise, particularly in biodiversity-rich tropical agroecosystems where subsistence farmers and wildlife coexist. We investigated farmers' attitudes using the ABC framework, analyzing their affect, behavior, and cognition toward wild animals. Additionally, we explored how socio-demographic characteristics influence farmers’ attitudes. Through individual interviews and focus groups, we assessed the responses of farmers from six villages in the Oio region of Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Most farmers (56%) expressed positive emotions toward rice production, which is solely for subsistence, despite facing challenges such as animal pests (87%) and inadequate tools (78%). Farmers showed strong knowledge of local wildlife at the class level. However, even when 'bird' and 'bat' were accepted as correct, identification accuracy at lower taxonomic levels varied between 67.5% and 80.4% across different villages. Farmers have mixed emotions about wild animals, with a general tendency toward negative feelings due to crop damage (49%) and human harm (20%), while positive feelings are tied to cultural beliefs (51%), harmlessness (7%), proximity to water (4%), and edibility (4%). Although attitudes toward animals varied between villages, respondent age and education did not seem to affect these views. Wildlife crop protection behaviors were consistent across villages but varied by target animal. Most strategies were non-lethal, such as making noise (44%) or guarding fields (12%), but a common perception of their ineffectiveness may explain resistance to promoting beneficial animals in their fields. When asked about having beneficial animals in their fields, 89% of farmers either did not know or chose not to answer. These findings highlight the complex relationship between smallholder rice farmers and wildlife in developing regions. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for fostering coexistence and promoting both biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d2ee0f55a5a14289979cb0ec4a866f77 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1708-3087 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-d2ee0f55a5a14289979cb0ec4a866f772024-12-31T13:26:07ZengResilience AllianceEcology and Society1708-30872024-12-012942410.5751/ES-15486-29042415486Friend or foe? Attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in West AfricaPatrícia Chaves0Marije Schaafsma1Djunco Dabo2Judite Z. Lomba3Fode Mane4Ricardo F. de Lima5Jorge M. Palmeirim6Ricardo Rocha7Sambu Seck8Justino Biai9Sérgio Timóteo10Christoph F. J. Meyer11Ana Rainho12Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, and Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, PortugalInstitute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the NetherlandsFederação KAFO, Guiné-Bissau, Centro Camponês de Djalicunda, Guinea-BissauFederação KAFO, Guiné-Bissau, Centro Camponês de Djalicunda, Guinea-BissauFederação KAFO, Guiné-Bissau, Centro Camponês de Djalicunda, Guinea-BissauCentre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, and Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, PortugalCentre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, and Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, PortugalDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, United KingdomFederação KAFO, Guiné-Bissau, Centro Camponês de Djalicunda, Guinea-BissauInstituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas, Bissau, Guinea-BissauCentre for Functional Ecology, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, PortugalSchool of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, United KingdomCentre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, and Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, PortugalAs the global human population grows and the demand for space and resources increases, human-wildlife interactions and conflicts are expected to rise, particularly in biodiversity-rich tropical agroecosystems where subsistence farmers and wildlife coexist. We investigated farmers' attitudes using the ABC framework, analyzing their affect, behavior, and cognition toward wild animals. Additionally, we explored how socio-demographic characteristics influence farmers’ attitudes. Through individual interviews and focus groups, we assessed the responses of farmers from six villages in the Oio region of Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Most farmers (56%) expressed positive emotions toward rice production, which is solely for subsistence, despite facing challenges such as animal pests (87%) and inadequate tools (78%). Farmers showed strong knowledge of local wildlife at the class level. However, even when 'bird' and 'bat' were accepted as correct, identification accuracy at lower taxonomic levels varied between 67.5% and 80.4% across different villages. Farmers have mixed emotions about wild animals, with a general tendency toward negative feelings due to crop damage (49%) and human harm (20%), while positive feelings are tied to cultural beliefs (51%), harmlessness (7%), proximity to water (4%), and edibility (4%). Although attitudes toward animals varied between villages, respondent age and education did not seem to affect these views. Wildlife crop protection behaviors were consistent across villages but varied by target animal. Most strategies were non-lethal, such as making noise (44%) or guarding fields (12%), but a common perception of their ineffectiveness may explain resistance to promoting beneficial animals in their fields. When asked about having beneficial animals in their fields, 89% of farmers either did not know or chose not to answer. These findings highlight the complex relationship between smallholder rice farmers and wildlife in developing regions. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for fostering coexistence and promoting both biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol29/iss4/art24agroecosystemscoexistencecrop damageguinea-bissauhuman-wildlife interactions |
| spellingShingle | Patrícia Chaves Marije Schaafsma Djunco Dabo Judite Z. Lomba Fode Mane Ricardo F. de Lima Jorge M. Palmeirim Ricardo Rocha Sambu Seck Justino Biai Sérgio Timóteo Christoph F. J. Meyer Ana Rainho Friend or foe? Attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in West Africa Ecology and Society agroecosystems coexistence crop damage guinea-bissau human-wildlife interactions |
| title | Friend or foe? Attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in West Africa |
| title_full | Friend or foe? Attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in West Africa |
| title_fullStr | Friend or foe? Attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in West Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Friend or foe? Attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in West Africa |
| title_short | Friend or foe? Attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in West Africa |
| title_sort | friend or foe attitudes of rice farmers toward wild animals in west africa |
| topic | agroecosystems coexistence crop damage guinea-bissau human-wildlife interactions |
| url | https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol29/iss4/art24 |
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