Gendered Risk Perceptions and Structural Barriers to Sustainable Pest Management: Evidence from Uganda's Tomato Value Chain

Benson Mutuku Muthama^1*Oscar Ingasia Ayuya^2,3Melanie Bateman⁴Sandra Phelps⁴Monica Kagorora Kansiime¹Christine Alokit⁵Lilian Owembabazi⁵Caroline Aliamo⁵Mary Bundi⁶Willis Ochilo⁶Naphis Bitange⁶Arnold Otieno Jong³Gertrude Alworah^3,7Daniel K Karanja⁶Morris Akiri⁶Cosmas Kweyu Lutomia⁸

• ¹Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), Muthaiga, Kenya
• ²Egerton University, Njoro, Kenya
• ³Afridev Economic Consulting Limited., Nakuru, Kenya
• ⁴CABI Switzerland, Delémont, Switzerland
• ⁵CABI International, Kampala, Uganda
• ⁶CABI Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
• ⁷Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, Kenya
• ⁸International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, Nairobi, Kenya

Sustainable pest management under the intensifying adverse effects of climate change is critical to agri-food systems resilience. Yet, the transition to low-risk and sustainable pest management practices, which often unfolds within gendered and generational constraints, remains limited in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined how risk perceptions of pesticides shape pest management decisions among 584 men, women, youth, and non-youth farmers in five regions of Uganda. While chemical pesticides were broadly perceived as high-risk, farmers continued using them due to structural constraints, such as market pressures, limited access to low-risk alternatives, and gendered decision-making dynamics. Biopesticides were perceived as low risk but remained underutilized, particularly among women and youth. Barriers to the use of biopesticides included affordability, limited availability, inadequate advisory services, and insufficient promotion of biopesticides as a safer alternative to chemical pesticides. The study finds that risk awareness alone does not necessarily translate into adoption of low-risk and sustainable pest management practices. Interventions must address both supply-side constraints and power asymmetries to strengthen the resilience and agency of marginalized groups within climate-vulnerable food systems.