Socio‐Economic Impacts, Farmer Perception and Management Responses to the Invasive Weed Parthenium hysterophorus L. in Uganda

ABSTRACT

The invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus L. presents a severe socio‐economic threat to Ugandan agriculture. This nationwide study of 244 farmers in infested districts reveals near‐universal recognition of the weed and widespread negative impacts: 88.3% of the farmers report increased labour demands, 62.1% cite yield reduction and significant costs are incurred through control efforts and degradation of soil and pasture resources. A multivariate probit analysis shows that most farmers rely on single‐method strategies. Hand weeding (76.7%) is the predominant practice and is driven by labour challenges, while herbicide use (6.7%) is associated with concerns over product quality and soil degradation. Machine weeding (45.8%) substitutes for manual labour and is influenced by region, cropping system and soil health perceptions. Critically, practices are not used in complementary combinations. The findings underscore an urgent need for context‐specific extension programmes to promote Integrated Weed Management that builds upon existing farmer practices to mitigate this livelihood crisis.