Abstract

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites (Plasmodium protozoan) transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The study examined the perceived effect of malaria on the sustainable agricultural productivity amongst rural farmers in Osun State. It also examined the relationship that exists between the respondents? knowledge levels on malaria and their perceived effect of malaria on agricultural productivity. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to randomly select 129 registered farmers, and the data were analyzed frequency counts and percentages, while Chi-square and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to test the hypotheses. The results show that the majority of the respondents have a mean household size of 8.8 members. Land clearing and weeding are the major agricultural practices that open up breeding space for mosquitoes. Farmers? knowledge level on malaria is high. They have a favourable perception of the effect of malaria on sustainable agricultural productivity. A positive and significant relationship exists between knowledge levels of the farmers on malaria and perceived effect of malaria on sustainable agricultural productivity(r= 0.308; p<0.01). Hence, malaria is being perceived as detrimental to health and is an unwanted source of disruption to sustainable agricultural productivity. The rural farmers should therefore aim at identifying and selecting culturally appropriate mosquito control techniques; as well as initiate actions aimed at controlling mosquito abundance in the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination

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