Gendered risk perceptions and structural barriers to sustainable pest management: evidence from Uganda’s tomato value chain

Abstract

Sustainable pest management amid the intensifying adverse effects of climate change is critical to the resilience of agrifood systems. 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 aimed to examine how risk perceptions of pesticides influence 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 to use 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 results indicated that risk awareness alone does not necessarily translate into the 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.