Controlling plant disease using biological and environmentally friendly approaches: making it work in practice - Disease Control in Crops - page 260

14.3.3 Farmer adoption of biologically based practices

There is evidence that improved agricultural technologies, such as disease-resistant
varieties, precision farming and improved water management practices, can increase crop
yields while reducing chemical use (Pingali et al. , 1997). However, farmers have been
slow to adopt these new practices. There are a number of reasons for this reluctance to
switch to improved practices. For example, it might be due, in part, to the continuing
subsidies on water and agrochemicals provided by many governments, that is by making
these inputs less expensive, subsidies encourage farmers and growers to be more waste-
ful in their use (Hazell & Wood, 2008). In addition, many of these improved practices
are more labour and knowledge intensive than the existing practices, which can make it
diffi cult and costly for farmers and growers to adopt them (Pingali et al. , 1997; Hazell
& Wood, 2008). Further, if farmers can obtain good levels of disease control using the
existing methods, why should they switch to a new method, which might not deliver the
same level of control? Such an attitude to risk is understandable and has been identifi ed
as one of the factors affecting the uptake of new 'no-tillage' technologies in cotton-wheat
farming systems in Pakistan's Punjab (Sheikh et al. , 2003).
Changing farmer attitudes to the adoption of new agricultural practices is not easy, but
ultimately, unless farmers and growers are prepared to use such technologies, most of
them will never fi nd their way into crop protection practice.

14.4 Conclusions

It is clear that effective crop protection cannot rely solely on the use of chemical pesticides.
Rather, it requires integration of a number of different approaches, including biologically
based methods. Indeed, Integrated Crop Management (ICM) is considered by some to
be the basis for sustainable agriculture (Wood, 1993). ICM can be defi ned as the cost-
effective production of high-quality crops, with priority given to use of ecologically safe
methods of cultivation, and minimising the use of crop protection chemicals (Dehne &
Schonbeck, 1994). There is clearly a role for biologically based approaches to disease
control in ICM. However, that role will only be realised if the barriers to implementation,
discussed briefl y above, are overcome.

14.5 Acknowledgements

Scottish Agricultural College receives fi nancial support from the Scottish Government
Rural and Environment Research and Analysis Directorate (RERAD).

14.6
Chen WQ, Xu SC, Liu TG, Lin RM, Wu LR, Jin SL, Co SQ, 2007. Wheat stripe rust and its prospects for
ecological control in China. Proceedings of the XVI International Plant Protection Congress, 15-18
October 2007, Glasgow, Scotland, 812-813.
Dehne H-W, Schönbeck F, 1994. Crop protection - past and present. In: Oerke E-C, Dehne H-W,
Schönbeck F, eds. Crop Production and Crop Protection - Estimated Losses in Major Food and Cash
Crops . Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, 45-71.
FAO, 2005. FAOSTAT Database. Rome, Italy: FAO. Hazell P, Wood S, 2008. Drivers of change in global
agriculture. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 363, 495-515.

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