author(s)
Badmus Hafiz Ayinde

abstract
Rodent pest species inflict damage not only on the field crops but also on the store produce. A lot of efforts have been made by the farmers in an attempt to reduce their damage which varies from one agro-ecosystem to another. In this present study, one hundred (100) questionnaires were administered to the farmers to know the rodent damage and Management approach by Cereal Crops farmers in Ido Local Government Area, Oyo State. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 was used to analyze the questionnaires. The results showed that the major constraints of cereal crop production identified were pests (90.0%) and insufficient rain (84.0%). Maize was identified as the crop with highest endurance of rodent damage on the field (99.0%) and in the store (99.0%). The most susceptible stage to rodent damage in cereal crop production was Seedling stage (85.0%). Information was mostly sourced by the farmers through personal experience (61.0%) and informal pest traders (43.0%). Inputs for rodent management were mostly sourced from Agrovets (66.0%). Majority of the farmers (71.0%) opined that rodent management should start after noticing nuisance. Rodenticides (52.0%) and traps (43.0%) were the two most frequently used rodent management methods. None of the farmers has benefitted from government support while majority of them (84.0%) were willing to be beneficiaries of government support in rodent management. Conclusively, efforts should be made in the community management of rodents especially among the farmers in order to make the management more effective.