Farmers’ perspective and a geospatial approach on the distribution of Mimosa pigra: a study in Matara District, Sri Lanka

Mimosa pigra L. is an invasive prickly plant that has been scattered in agricultural lands in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. This study was aimed to understand the farmers’ perspectives on the spread of M. pigra in Matara district, Sri Lanka while uplifting awareness and estimating the distribution of the weed to support control activities. Semi-structured interviews with a pretested sample questionnaire survey were carried out among 400 randomly selected farmers among 16 Divisional Secretariats Divisions (DSDs) in the district. The spread areas of M. pigra were estimated using modern geospatial techniques, where images of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (DJI Macvi Pro) were taken for mapping the affected area. UAV was captured 26.8 ha (5.84% of the total land area) of M. pigra invaded land extent in Akuressa and Malimbada DSDs. Based on the survey, 91.5 % of the farmers had no previous knowledge of controlling the particular weed. Approximately, 22.8% of the farmers expressed interest to establish Cinnamomum sp. as a perennial crop, and 11.8% suggested cultivating vegetables as the annuals in the areas invaded by M. pigra. The geospatial techniques used in this study was correctly identified the spread of M. pigra, which is very useful information for controlling weeds. Further research activities are suggested within the adaptive management framework and suitability of Cinnamomum sp. cultivation in M. pigra affected areas.