Journal of Geoscience and Eco Agricultural Studies

Abstract

This study highlights a clear spatial segmentation within the rice-growing sector of the Maniema province (DRC), where gender asymmetry is highly pronounced—with males accounting for 69.0% of the workforce—and decision-making power is concentrated among individuals aged 36 to 55. The results reveal profound territorial contrasts driven by a generational gradient and the geographical specialization of biotic pressures (explaining 56.4% of the overall variance, divided between a primary trend of 30.8% and a secondary trend of 25.6%). The historical hub of Kasongo is characterized by an aging farming population (46.78 ± 5.20 years) and strong agricultural anchoring (more than 10 years of experience for 27.34% of them). These senior farmers secure plots larger than 1 hectare and widely adopt the improved cultivar IRAC13 (30.5%) ; however, they suffer exclusively from avian pest pressure, where continuous bird-scaring significantly compromises their economic profitability. Conversely, Kailo and Kibombo mobilize younger farming communities (averaging 39 years of age). In Kibombo, newly established smallholders (1 to 3 years of seniority) cultivate micro-plots of less than 1 hectare, rely heavily on local landraces or non-certified seed stocks (12.5%), and face a critical convergence of insect pests and phytopathogenic diseases, which confines them to low yields (1 to 5 bags). Meanwhile, damage caused by wild mammals remains diffuse and uniform across the entire province. The study also underscores a clear duality in risk perception : younger farmers (31.74 ± 7.86 years) overwhelmingly report plant pathologies (87.0%) and specifically identify brown spot disease (Bipolaris oryzae, syn. Helminthosporium oryzae) (24.6%), whereas veterans largely deny its occurrence (71.8%) or resort to generic terminology (73.4%). Finally, in response to erratic rainfall patterns, the heightened vulnerability observed among senior farmers (44.31 ± 9.22 years) relies on long-term climate memory.