Once farmers understood the importance of insect life cycles and the need to interrupt them, larvae were collected and used as food for chickens. In this way a traditional practice was slightly modified as a result of the interaction between farmers. Reinforcing interaction occurs when scientific information confirms the farmers. Reinforced knowledge allows them to feel confident about their own observations and practices. Here, certain practices already known to the farmers were also included in IPM, such as crop rotation, the use of repellent plants, and the use of chickens to get rid of larvae.
Confusing interaction occurs when there is a conflict between farmers.
This is often seen when scientific information is presented in an inappropriate manner, or when farmers lack a knowledge of biological principles related to insect behaviour. Modelling information interpretation I would now like to present a model designed to simplify the complex cognitive processes by which scientific information about IPM of the potato crop is interpreted by farmers, and the factors that influence that interpretation. Such a model may help us to understand the principles which underly the process, and enable extension workers to design suitable approaches to farmers. There are three groups of factors which influence the interpretation of information. The first group includes those factors which are related to the quantity, comprehensiveness, and sequence of the information, and the way in which it is presented to farmers.