Resumen de Assessing the complexity of the spreading processes of agricultural pests: the case of the Guatemalan potato moth in Tenerife

Serafín Corral Quintana, David Romero Manrique de Lara, Angela Guimarães Pereira, Eduardo Cuenca García

• Potato pests should be considered complex issues with multiple interrelated causes and impacts. These pests cause serious socioeconomic and environmental damage. Several management approaches based on chemical, physical and cultural control methods (among others) have been traditionally applied to deal with such infestations. However, pests' spreading processes often seem virtually unstoppable. Considering that the potato is the fourth most important crop worldwide, this is a major problem, which needs to be tackled from both a global and local perspective.

  This article illustrates a participatory assessment of the social-institutional context of an invasive agricultural pest in an island territory. The case of the Guatemalan potato moth in Tenerife is investigated using socio-institutional analysis and participatory assessment with the aim of developing novel alternatives of action to tackle the spread of this disease. During the process, historical decisions taken in the past are continuously assessed by the relevant stakeholders, thus broadening the scale of analysis and introducing social, economic and ecological variables involved in the pest infestation.

  This study might assist other regions suffering from agricultural pests, as well as those at risk of potential infestations, to take more effective decisions based on a macro scale perspective. Such decisions should take into consideration the social-institutional context surrounding other experiences and integrate variables that influence the problem directly or indirectly.