Rodents in agriculture and public health in Malawi: Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices

Given that rodents are responsible for nearly 280 million cases of undernutrition worldwide and about 400 people affected by rodent-associated zoonoses annually, management rodent populations agricultural pests and/or reservoirs pathogens is a major food security public health matter. In sub-Saharan Africa, the median crop loss due to 16% in field around 8% during storage. The impact on not well-established, albeit over 60 zoonotic diseases can be spread humans via rodents. Therefore, focusing rodent-related community knowledge, attitudes, practices crucial establishing robust baseline information as springboard future targeted studies. study was conducted September 2020 Lilongwe Nkhata Bay districts Central Northern Malawi, respectively. A semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions, interviews with key informants were used. Farmers reported problem staple crops (maize, rice, cassava) main species Natal multimammate mouse ( Mastomys natalensis ), silver mole-rat Heliophobius argenteocinereus house Mus musculus domesticus ). Awareness risks very low, exemplified reports rodent–human bites, eating rodent-contaminated food, processing consumption wild poor hygienic conditions, these flourishing when Malawi bubonic plague endemic country. Rodent less practiced, it symptomatic. It considered matter individual households typically relies use rodenticides insecticides without proper dosage user instructions. We recommend rigorous campaigns create better awareness among regarding impacts agriculture need engagement effective management. paradigm shift needed adapting adopting ecologically-based reducing dependence synthetic chemical rodenticides.