Abstract:
Farmers in the northern avocado cultivation areas of South Africa were interviewed concerning their
experience and perceptions of biological control. Factors affecting their decision to use biological control
programmes as a disease control strategy, were also investigated. Results indicate that educational level,
age and land owner status reflect the farmer’s decision making ability and the level of commitment to
adopt the new technology. Generations of family farming and farm management systems that have
adopted food safety management systems also had an influence on their willingness to explore biological
control. Although most farmers were aware of biological control, most could not define it. Farmers did
not blame biological control for the previous poor results, but rather on environmental factors and a lack
of perseverance on their side with the use of the product. Land reform aims to redistribute 30 percent of
the country’s agricultural land from white commercial farmers to previously disadvantaged communities
by 2014. Farmers on farms with completed or invalid land claims were more willing to utilise biological
control than growers without claims or with land claims that are pending. Companies distributing and
selling biocontrol products indicated that the lack of technical knowledge by sales personnel is one of the
main problems experienced with marketing biocontrol products. Manufacturing companies also experienced
difficulty with the registration of new products in South Africa.
