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4.1.3 Costs and benefits of the campaigns

The 1983 Campaign required about four months of planning and preparation, and about US$ 17,000 in operational expenses (Fig. 4-3b). The largest expenditure was for developing and printing the campaign media materials, which accounted for 59 percent of the total campaign operational costs. Salaries of the campaign planners and staff were not included in the campaign cost, since such expenditures would have been incurred anyway even if the campaign had not been held. In other words, no additional manpower resources were mobilized by the DOAE for the campaign.

According to the evaluation findings, 43 percent of the survey respondents were exposed to the 1983 Campaign. It was estimated that about 4.6 million farm households were "reached" by the campaign. The average cost of "campaign-reach" per farm household was thus less than US$ 0.01 which was very low by any campaign standard. It was recognized, however, that not all farmers who had been exposed to the campaign messages would automatically conduct rat control. Although the cost of informing, motivating, and educating farmers to conduct rat control could be estimated, it would probably be more useful to calculate the benefits gained from the rat control campaign.

The Field Damage Assessment Survey (FDAS) of the 1983 Campaign found the damage level of wheat fields treated with ready-made baits, as recommended by the campaign, was on average 56 percent lower than those not given any treatment (Fig. 4-6a). Using wheat as an indicator crop, the FDAS estimated that the wheat production gain due to ready-made bait application alone was 5,045 tons, with a market value of US$ 834,000 (Fig. 4-6b), in one winter crop season. Since the cost of ready-made bait treatment was US$ 23,000, the net gain during the 1983 wheat season was approximately US$ 834,000. This also means that a wheat farmer who practiced rat control with ready-made bait saved about US$ 8.90 per hectare of land. It should be pointed out that this benefit analysis was limited to the application of ready-made baits on wheat fields only. The campaign, as discussed earlier, was also successful in increasing the number of farmers who conducted rat control in non-wheat fields, and by using other rat control methods. However, no specific study was conducted to calculate such cost-benefits.

With the benefits of experience and skills in planning and developing extension campaign strategies and the multi-media support materials gained during the 1983 Campaign, it only required about 2 months to prepare the 1984 Campaign. The campaign operational cost was about US$ 41,000 as it covered all 21 districts in the country. The IRIS indicated that an estimated of 67 percent of respondents surveyed had been exposed to 1984 campaign messages. It was thus estimated that about 7.2 million farm households had known about the campaign. This might have also been the result of the cumulative effects of both the 1983 and 1984 Campaigns.

The 1984 FDAS again used wheat as the indicator crop to estimate the benefits owing to ready-made bait application. As shown in Figure 4-7a, when damage levels between untreated wheat fields and those treated with ready-made baits were compared, a significant damage reduction of 41 percent was noted. It was estimated that about 5,208 tons of wheat with a market value of US$ 859,000 was saved from rats by applying ready-made baits alone, in one winter-crop season, as a results of the 1984 Campaign. Since the cost of treatment was about US$ 37,000, the net gain due to the use of ready-made baits in wheat fields was approximately US$ 822,000 as shown in Figure 4-7b. As the 1984 Campaign was also successful in increasing the proportion of farmers who conducted rat control in non-wheat fields, and by using other control methods, the total benefits were much greater than the figure calculated for wheat alone.

FIGURE 4-6a

Comparison of Rat Control Methods Applied in Wheat Fields during or after the 1983 Campaign

Note:

¹⁾ Since farmers control rats only in infested or damaged fields, fields with zero damage were not included in the group with no control

FIGURE 4-6 b

Economic Benefits from the Application of Ready-Made Bait in Standing Wheat after the 1983 Campaign

Note:

¹⁾ Based on the 1983 field damage assessment survey (18% of the total wheat-producing areas were treated with ready made baits) and FAO production yearbook, vol. 37, 1983 (total wheat-producing area in Bangladesh was 519,000 ha).

²⁾ The FAO production yearbook vol. 37, 1983 estimated for Bangladesh, an average wheat yield of 2,109 kg/ha which included 2.21% average rat damage.

Thus, potential wheat yield in 1983 was:

³⁾ Percentage of damage on fields treated with ready-made baits was 1.97% (Figure 4-6a)
⁴⁾ Percentage of damage on untreated fields was 4.44% (Figure 4-6a)
⁵⁾ Based on 5 Taka per hectare, excluding labour (about 1 hour) and US $ 1 = 20 Taka (exchange rate in 1983)

FIGURE 4-7a

Comparison of Rat Control Methods Applied in Wheat Fields during or after the 1984 Campaign

Note:

The difference in damage inflicted on fields treated with rodenticides other than ready-made baits and with the ready-made baits was significant at the 0.01 level.

¹⁾ Since farmers control rats only in infested or damaged fields, fields with zero damage were not included in the group with no control

FIGURE 4-7b

Economic Benefits from the Application of Ready-Made Bait in Standing Wheat after the 1984 Campaign

Note:

¹⁾ The 1984 field damage assessment survey found that 19% of the total wheat-producing area was treated with ready-made baits, and on the basis of the 1983 wheat-producing area of 519,000 ha (FAO production yearbook, vol. 37, 1983) the 1984 total wheat-producing area in Bangladesh was estimated at 623,000 ha.

²⁾ The FAO production yearbook, vol. 37, 1983 estimated wheat yield of 2,109 kg/ha for Bangladesh with a 2.45% average rat damage.

Thus potential wheat yield in 1984 was about

³⁾ Percentage of damage on fields treated with ready-made baits was 2.88% (Figure 4-7a)
⁴⁾ Percentage of damage on untreated fields was 4.90% (Figure 4-7a)
⁵⁾ Based on 6.24 Taka per hectare, excluding labour (about 1 hour) and US $ 1 = 20 Taka (exchange rate in 1984)

The most significant result of these campaigns, however, was the increased support and recognition among Bangladesh's agricultural officials and extension staff on the need for a systematic and strategically-planned extension programme. The campaigns have empirically demonstrated the importance and strategic role/function of a well-planned and integrated extension activity utilizing a multi-media campaign approach. Having been involved directly in such an activity, and having seen positive results of the campaigns, many researchers, subject-matter specialists, extension officers, trainers, and communication support personnel, are now likely to work more closely as a team, especially at the extension programme planning stage, and in field-level implementation.

In addition, the empirical campaign evaluation results have convinced several major local rodenticide manufacturers that a market demand exists for good quality ready-made baits and that a regular and mass production of such baits is economically feasible. The effectiveness of a rat control programme can be threatened in the absence of a continuous and easily accessible supply of reasonably priced and good quality rodenticides, which was the case prior to the 1983 Campaign.

4. 2. Malaysia: The rat control campaign

4.2.1. The SEC process
4.2.2 Evaluation of SEC results
4.2.3 Costs and benefits of SEC
4.2.4. Sustainability of SEC in Malaysia

Starting in early 1985, Malaysia's Department of Agriculture (DOA) has embarked on a systematic extension programme which integrated technology generation, extension, training and multi-media materials development activities into a coherent and well-planned campaign. The first of such an undertaking was carried out by DOA in collaboration with FAO's Inter-Country Programme on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Rice in South and Southeast Asia, with technical assistance from FAO's Agricultural Education and Extension Service (ESHE). Due to severe rat problems in Penang, Malaysia, a Strategic Extension Campaign on Rat Control was conducted following the SEC process and methodology applied by FAO earlier in Bangladesh. However, having learned from the lessons and experiences of Bangladesh, two main elements were added in the Malaysia's SEC replication:

The Malaysian Rat Control Campaign activities followed closely the SEC Process and Implementation Steps outlined in Fig. 2-2. It was the first complete and comprehensive SEC programme which had been conducted in Malaysia, and the first SEC programme supported by FAO which carried out the en tire SEC process and had all the suggested SEC elements.

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