Since the declaration of the fall armyworm (FAW) pandemic across sub-Saharan Africa in 2016, the polyphagous insect has threatened food security and livelihoods in the sub-region, particularly among farmers producing maize for sustenance. To mitigate the worm infestation, synthetic insecticides are used as a promising solution to effectively manage the threat of the worms, despite the negative consequences such as effects on human health, ecosystem sustainability, and overall societal and economic costs. This study, therefore, uses a structured questionnaire to collect primary data on 250 maize farmers to assess their perceptions and determinants of synthetic insecticides used to manage FAW in the Ejura-Sekyedumase municipality in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The findings showed that emamectin-benzoate, chlorpyrifos, and lambda-cyhalothrin-based insecticides were the dominant chemicals used to manage FAW infestations. Farmers' overall perceptions are indifferent, which raised doubts about the sustainability and efficacy of applying synthetic insecticides. The findings highlight farmers' concerns about the effects of synthetic insecticides on human health and the environment, which calls for the investigation of less expensive, low-risk alternatives to insecticides such as microbial and botanical insecticides that are safer for humans and enhance ecosystem sustainability. Results from a Heckman selection model which corrects sample selection bias showed that three institutional covariates, three perception attributes, and five personal factors significantly influence the adoption of synthetic insecticides to control FAW in the study area. The study's findings imply that if proper measures are put in place to encourage the use of prescribed and environmentally friendly insecticides to counteract FAW's attack, maize productivity and production will be improved in a more sustainable manner.

自 2016 年宣布秋粘虫 (FAW) 在撒哈拉以南非洲地区大流行以来，这种杂食性昆虫已威胁到该次区域的粮食安全和生计，特别是对生产玉米以维持生计的农民而言。为了减轻蠕虫感染，合成杀虫剂被用作有效管理蠕虫威胁的有前途的解决方案，尽管它会产生负面后果，例如影响人类健康、生态系统可持续性以及总体社会和经济成本。因此，本研究使用结构化调查问卷收集了 250 名玉米种植者的主要数据，以评估他们对加纳阿散蒂地区 Ejura-Sekyedumase 市用于管理秋粘虫的合成杀虫剂的看法和决定因素。研究结果表明，甲维盐、毒死蜱和高效氯氟氰菊酯类杀虫剂是用于控制秋粘虫感染的主要化学物质。农民的总体看法不高，这引发了人们对使用合成杀虫剂的可持续性和有效性的怀疑。研究结果凸显了农民对合成杀虫剂对人类健康和环境影响的担忧，这要求研究更便宜、低风险的杀虫剂替代品，例如对人类更安全并增强生态系统可持续性的微生物和植物杀虫剂。纠正样本选择偏差的赫克曼选择模型的结果表明，三个制度协变量、三个感知属性和五个个人因素显着影响研究区域采用合成杀虫剂来控制秋粘虫。研究结果表明，如果采取适当措施鼓励使用规定的环保杀虫剂来抵抗秋粘虫的侵袭，玉米生产力和产量将以更可持续的方式提高。