PERCEPCIóN DE PRODUCTORES DE TABACO SOBRE INSECTOS PLAGAS Y SU MANEJO EN EL MUNICIPIO JESúS MENéNDEZ (LAS TUNAS)

the transition to a sustainable agricultural development requires an initial approach to the state of knowledge and awareness among stakeholders regarding the problems of their local environment. the present study was carried out in the municipality jesus menendez (las tunas province) to evaluate the plant protection perception of tobacco producers on pest insects in the crop and their management. the method used to gather information was a semi-structured interview applied to a sample of farmers who accounted for 40% of all the tobacco producers in the territory. the results obtained allowed to identify deficiencies related to the crop protection, which included an insufficient knowledge of farmers in relation to the major pests affecting the crop, their signaling indices and natural enemies, as well as a low preference for tactics of biological control for the regulation of the pest insect populations and the predominance of the technological approach among the producers in the region. the insufficient knowledge possessed by the producers was determined as the main cause of the difficulties identified, which would require the design of actions to transform the initial situation diagnosed.